Objective: To determine the prevalence, types and correlates of intimate partner violence (IPV) in pregnant Nigerian living with HIV.
Design: Cross sectional study.
Population: HIV positive pregnant women.
Setting: A large HIV comprehensive treatment centre.
Methods: A cross sectional study of 652 HIV positive pregnant Nigerians seen at Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Lagos, Nigeria over a 24 months period.
Main outcome measures: Prevalence of intimate partner violence after HIV diagnosis.
Results: Among the women interviewed, 423 (65.8%) reported abuse. In 74.0% of abused women, the abuse started after HIV diagnosis. Though having a HIV negative spouse and disclosure of HIV status were associated with abuse, only having a HIV negative partner retained its association with IPV (OR 3.1; CI 2.4-5.3) after controlling for confounding variables. Sixty-two (9.6%) women have not disclosed their HIV status because of fear of rejection. Verbal abuse (51.7%), threat of violence in 97 (22.9%) and sexual deprivation in 91 (21.5%) were the common forms of abuse reported.
Conclusion: IPV is common among HIV positive pregnant Nigerians; with a threefold increased risk in women in HIV serodiscordant relationship.