Physical Partner Violence and Its Associated Physical Injuries: Reports of Women From the General Community in Jordan

Abstract

Physical Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a serious malady in marital relationships. It significantly affects their health and wellbeing, as physical injuries may result. This study aimed to examine the prevalence rate and predictors of physical partner violence and identify the patterns of physical injuries associated with women’s experience of IPV in Jordan. Participants were 409 women conveniently recruited from healthcare centers. Data about IPV tactics, previous history of violence, types of physical injuries associated with IPV, along with women’s sociodemographic characteristics, were collected. Physical partner violence was measured using the World Health Organization Multi-country Study on Women’s Health and Domestic Violence against Women tool. Linear regression analysis was employed to determine significant predictors of physical partner violence. Logistic regression was implemented to identify risks of physical injury associated with physical partner violence. Results indicated that a significant proportion of women seeking healthcare had experienced IPV (45.7%) with 23% of them experiencing both moderate and severe violence. Physical partner violence was predicted by employment status and associated with different forms of physical injuries. Moderate types of physical injuries were associated with IPV, while severe physical injuries were not. It was concluded that types of physical injuries that require hospitalization (such as bone fractures) were not associated with IPV. This lack of association may explain perpetrators’ tendency to avoid severe physical injuries that require hospitalization or medical assistance. Women’s tendency to accept violence for the sake of keeping the family unit integral and being blamed for violence victimization are among the factors that increase their exposure to physical IPV. It is recommended that women be screened for physical partner violence in every encounter with health professionals. This practice should be applied to all types of healthcare settings to lower the prevalence of this problem.