Prevalence of intimate partner violence in Latin America and the co-occurrence of physical and inappropriate discipline

This study used data from Demographic and Health Surveys to identify risk factors for intimate partner violence (IPV) and to examine the co-occurrence between intimate partner violence and child physical punishment in six Latin American countries: Bolivia, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Peru. A Bayesian hierarchical spatial analysis will examine regional differences among IPV prevalence rates. Population-based analyses adjusting for complex sampling designs will be used to predict the likelihood of experiencing intimate partner violence based on known risk factors such as age, income, education, region, employment, and decision-making power. Finally, design-based subgroup analyses will be used to examine the relationship between IPV and child physical punishment among women with children. Results found that the prevalence of intimate partner physical violence ranges from 13% to 39%. In this study strong similarities in rates were found among neighboring regions in Columbia, Peru, and the Dominican Republic. Additionally, among urban areas in Columbia, Peru, and Nicaragua, results found higher average rates of physical non-sexual IPV and in Columbia and Nicaragua higher rates for sexual IPV. Risk factors associated with IPV include, women who co-habitat, are not as educated, who are middle class, employed, who do not make joint decisions with their partner, and have three or more children. There were mixed finding for the age of the woman. Results also found that women who experience IPV are more likely to physically discipline their children when compared to women who do not experience IPV. The author hopes to inform the literature on global issues regarding the prevalence of intimate partner and family violence in Latin America, and build upon previous studies focused on IPV and child maltreatment in Latin America