Prevalence, pattern, and effect of counselling on the family function of intimate partner violence victims attending an antenatal clinic in a tertiary hospital, north central Nigeria.

Background & Aim : Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global problem. Its burden is enormous, accounting for a significant loss of man hours, huge stress on the medical facilities, the economy of the society and causing significant family dysfunction. We set out to determine prevalence, pattern and effect of counselling on the family function of pregnant IPV victims. METHODS : This study was a randomised controlled trial of pregnant IPV victims. The AAS questionnaire was used to screen 269 pregnant women among which 103 were positive for IPV. Computer-generated random numbers were used to recruit 72 women who were randomized into the control and intervention arms. Their sociodemographic data and clinical parameters were recorded. The intervention arm had three sessions of counselling lasting one to two hours fortnightly using the SOS DoC protocol. The family functions of the victims were assessed using SCORE 15 index of the family function at the beginning and end of the study. RESULTS : The prevalence of IPV during pregnancy was 24%. Three distinct patterns of IPV were identified; emotional violence which ranked highest with 78.6%, followed by physical 68% and finally sexual 38.9%. In 18.4% of the victims, IPV was severe enough to warrant seeking medical care. 82% (59) of the IPV victims had dysfunctional families. In the intervention arm, the mean family function score dropped from 2.92±92 to 2.16±63 with counselling and this change was significant (p<0.0001). In the non-intervention arm, the change from 2.48±0.73 to 2.29±0.82 was not statistically significant (p=0.116). CONCLUSION : Family dysfunction was found to be prevalent among pregnant IPV victims and short- term counselling showed a significant improvement in the family function of victims.