Form of Marriage as a Predictor of Intimate Partner Violence among Married Women in North-Central, Nigeria

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious social problem with devastating psychological, physical, and economic consequences. While various studies have investigated the causes of IPV, the influence of the type of marriage contracted has not been well explored. Thus, the study investigated the influence of the type of marriage contracted on IPV among married people in north-central Nigeria. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey method. The study population comprised married women who were 15 years of age and older and resided in north-central Nigeria. A multi-cluster sampling method was used to select the respondents for the survey. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the survey data. The descriptive statistics revealed that 67.5% of the sample experienced intimate partner violence in their current marital relationship. As for the form of intimate partner violence, the descriptive statistics revealed that 51%, 30.5%, and 19% of the respondents, respectively, experienced emotional, physical, and sexual IPV in their current marital relationship. The multivariate logistics regression model showed that women who engaged in forced marriage had 8.871 odds of experiencing IPV; women whose husbands had concubines had 23.504 odds of experiencing IPV; women who did court or civil marriage had 3.423 odds of experiencing IPV; and women in monogamous marriages had 1.505 odds of experiencing IPV. Household decision-making was also related to IPV. The study’s findings are germane because they can provide information for the creation of laws and initiatives that aim to stop violence against women.