Help-seeking behaviors among survivors of intimate partner violence during pregnancy in 54 low- and middle-income countries: evidence from Demographic and Health Survey data

• Published in: BMC public health Vol. 25; no. 1; pp. 413 - 30
• Main Authors: Stiller, Mariella, Wilson, Michael Lowery, Bärnighausen, Till, Adedimeji, Adebola, Lewis, Erin, Abio, Anne
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 01.02.2025; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Abused women; Adolescent; Adult; Aggression; Behavior; Bivariate analysis; Consumption; Demographic and Health Surveys; Demographics; Demography; Dependency theory; Developing Countries - statistics & numerical data; Domestic violence; Drinking behavior; Education; Educational attainment; Employment; Families & family life; Family violence; Female; Gender inequality; Global health; Health aspects; Health behavior; Health services; Health Surveys; Help seeking behavior; Help-seeking; Humans; Intimate partner violence; Intimate Partner Violence - psychology; Intimate Partner Violence - statistics & numerical data; Investigations; Kinship networks; Legal services; Low income groups; Low- and middle-income countries; Mass media; Maternal health; Population studies; Pregnancy; Prenatal care; Public health; Racial discrimination; Residence; Responses; Social aspects; Social networks; Sociocultural factors; Suicides & suicide attempts; Support networks; Surveys; Survival; Survivor; Survivors - psychology; Survivors - statistics & numerical data; Violence; Women; Womens health; Young Adult; Eastern Europe; Asia; Sub-Saharan Africa; Latin America; Africa; Pregnancy; Low- and middle-income countries; Demographic and Health Surveys; Maternal health; Intimate partner violence; Help-seeking
• ISSN: 1471-2458; 1471-2458
• DOI: 10.1186/s12889-025-21421-3

Intimate partner violence (IPV) during pregnancy is a global issue of public health importance. Due to the low rates of help-seeking in response to IPV, research on survivors' help-seeking behaviors is scarce, particularly within low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The present study provides a cross-national evidence of informal and formal help-seeking patterns among pregnant women experiencing IPV. This study made use of population-based data from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) Program from 54 LMICs, collected between 2005 and 2020 (N = 359,027). Applying bivariate and multivariable analyses, the present study examined IPV survivors' help-seeking distributions and associations with individual, partner, family, and community factors. Only half of survivors sought help in response to IPV during pregnancy with wide regional and national variations, mainly from informal support networks (including family, neighbors, and friends), and rarely from formal institutions (including legal, socio-cultural, and medical services). Evidence shows that help-seeking behaviors were associated with IPV survivors' age and educational attainment, survivors' employment status and earnings compared to their partners, survivors' consumption of mass media, intimate partner's age and education, spouse's alcohol consumption and controlling behaviors, survivors' wealth index, place of residence, and health-seeking barriers, among others. Practitioners are encouraged to consider the study's outcomes when designing interventions and support for survivors seeking help in response to IPV during pregnancy. Strong advocacy and action are needed, including fostering survivors' educational attainment, diminishing pregnant women's social and financial dependencies on their intimate partners, promoting pre- and peri-natal health care, informing survivors about help, and increasing gender equality by engaging women and men equally within the whole community.