Intimate Partner Violence and Pregnancy Termination among Tajikistan Women: Evidence from Nationally Representative Data

Abstract

<p>Intimate partner violence is the most common kind of violence and a significant public health issue. The relationship between intimate partner violence and pregnancy termination among Tajikistan women was investigated in this study. The data for this research was collected from the Tajikistan Demographic and Health Survey 2017. This research has used the data of married women aged between 15 to 49 years. The findings from the study indicate that around 23.2% of married women in Tajikistan have experienced physical violence. The respondent’s age, region, and employment status was significantly associated with pregnancy termination (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Similarly, women who can refuse sex with their partner and ask their partner to use a condom are more likely to terminate pregnancy (<i>p</i> < 0.05). The characteristics of the husband or partner that had a significant positive association with pregnancy termination of married women in Tajikistan are age, educational level, and alcohol drinking status of their husbands (<i>p</i> < 0.05). This study also establishes the significant relationship between pregnancy termination and physical or emotional violence experienced by women (<i>p</i> < 0.05). The dynamics of domestic abuse need to be understood by healthcare providers to aid women in making decisions on whether or not to terminate their pregnancy. </p>