Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The persistence of intimate partner violence (IPV) in developing countries is attributable to patriarchal socio-cultural norms that endorse male dominance, compounded by limited enforcement of legal protections. IPV during pregnancy poses significant risks to both maternal and fetal health. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and predictors of IPV during pregnancy in the Tamale Metropolis, Northern Ghana. METHODS: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted from April to May 2023. Systematic random sampling was used to recruit 260 pregnant women from three public health facilities in the Tamale Metropolis. Women with high-risk pregnancies and non-consenting participants were excluded. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and analyzed using IBM SPSS version 25. Binary logistic regression was performed to identify independent predictors of IPV. All statistical tests were two-tailed, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of IPV during the current pregnancy was 60.0%. Compared with women aged ≤ 20 years, those aged 21-30 years (AOR: 0.3; 95% CI: 0.1-0.8; p = 0.02) and those aged ≥ 31 years (AOR: 0.2; 95% CI: 0.1-0.6; p = 0.01) had significantly lower odds of IPV. Women whose spouses had witnessed their fathers beating their mothers during childhood also had lower adjusted odds of IPV (AOR: 0.3; 95% CI: 0.1-0.9; p = 0.03); however, the bivariate analysis showed the opposite direction, and this adjusted finding warrants cautious interpretation and longitudinal investigation. CONCLUSION: IPV during pregnancy was highly prevalent in the Tamale Metropolis. Older maternal age was associated with reduced odds of IPV. The inverse adjusted association between spousal childhood exposure to paternal IPV and current IPV risk was unexpected and requires further investigation. Targeted interventions for young pregnant women, integration of IPV screening into antenatal care, and community-based education campaigns are recommended.