Gender-Based Violence among Pregnant Women Consulting at the Antenatal Care Unit of the Bamenda Regional Hospital

Background: Gender-based violence is violence against men and women in which the woman is more likely to be the victim. Globally, one in every four women is physically or sexually abused during pregnancy. The main objective was to study gender-based violence among pregnant women attending antenatal care at the Bamenda Regional Hospital (BRH). Methods: We carried out a hospital-based cross-sectional study among 231 pregnant women at the antenatal care unit of the BRH from January to March 2018. The study included all women who gave a written informed consent. A questionnaire adapted from the WHO multi-country study was used to collect data on sociodemographic characteristics, aspects of gender-based violence (GBV), and data for other associated factors were collected by face-to-face interview. Data were analysed using SPSS version 23.0. Chi-square test and Fisher exact test were used to compare frequencies. Student t-test was used to compare means. Binary logistic regression analysis and multivariate analysis were used to eliminate confounders. The level of statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: A total of 56.3% (n = 130) of pregnant women involved in the study were found to be survivors of GBV. Psychological trauma, physical assault and sexual violence were found in 47.2%, 30.2% and 19.9% respectively. Depression and anxiety were the most frequent clinical manifestations. Only 37.7% of the survivors sought management. The factors statistically associated with the occurrence of GBV were: for physical violence a partner that smokes;for sexual violence a history of sexual assault on the survivor as a child, a primary level of education of the partner, and a partner that is alcoholic;for psychological violence a history of sexual assault on the survivor as a child, a primary level of education of the partner, and a partner that is alcoholic. After adjusting for confounders, having a partner with only a primary education had a statistically significant association [3.610 (1.431 - 9.091), p = 0.007] with the occurrence of GBV. Conclusion: GBV is a key health risk among pregnant women consulting at the ANC unit of the Bamenda Regional Hospital and proper education of the partner is primordial in its prevention.