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Original research
Prevalence of domestic violence against pregnant women living in rural areas: systematic review and meta-analysis
  1. Gulnura Sulaimanova1,
  2. Yui Yamaoka2,
  3. Inis Jane Bardella3,
  4. Takeo Fujiwara2
  1. 1 Master of Public Health in Global Health(MPH), Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Bunkyo-ku, Japan
  2. 2 Department of Public Health, Institute of Science Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Japan
  3. 3 Global Family Medicine Consultant, Scientific Technology and Language Institute, Houston, Texas, USA
  1. Correspondence to Professor Takeo Fujiwara; fujiwara.hlth{at}tmd.ac.jp

Abstract

Background Many studies have demonstrated that pregnant women living in rural areas are more likely to experience domestic violence (DV). Systematic reviews on the prevalence and risk factors of DV among pregnant women have been conducted mainly in urban areas. Thus, there has been no determination of the global prevalence of DV among rural pregnant women. The objective of this study is to assess the prevalence and types of DV among rural pregnant women globally using systematic review and meta-analysis.

Methods The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis expanded checklist for 2020 was employed. The Condition-Context-Population framework was used to determine the inclusion criteria. Fifteen studies met the inclusion criteria. The PubMed, Web of Science, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature and Scopus databases were searched for published articles through January 2023. Pooled prevalence and types of DV in rural pregnant women were assessed using the random effect model.

Results DV against rural pregnant women was prevalent at 33.4% (95% CI 20.8 to 47.9%). Psychological violence was the most common with a prevalence of 34.2%, followed by physical violence (14.1%) and sexual violence (13.5%).

Conclusion One-third of pregnant women in rural areas are victims of DV. In rural pregnant women, the prevalence of DV is higher than overall global estimates. Policymakers, healthcare professionals and researchers must prioritise assessment and prevention of DV against pregnant women who reside in rural areas.

  • META-ANALYSIS
  • SYSTEMATIC REVIEW
  • PREGNANCY
  • VIOLENCE

Data availability statement

No data are available.

https://doi.org/10.1136/jech-2023-220862

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    Data availability statement

    No data are available.

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    Footnotes

    • Collaborators Aiperi Asanbek Kyzy, Yu Par Khin.

    • Contributors Conceptualisation: GS developed the research question following the guidelines provided by TF. Methodology: GS designed the study. The quality assessment was conducted by IJB and GS. Formal analysis: GS analysed the data and performed statistical analyses under the supervision of YY. Writing-original draft: GS authored the initial draft of the article. Writing-review and editing: TF, YY, IJB and GS contributed to revisions and editing. Supervision: TF provided supervision throughout the process.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

    • Supplemental material This content has been supplied by the author(s). It has not been vetted by BMJ Publishing Group Limited (BMJ) and may not have been peer-reviewed. Any opinions or recommendations discussed are solely those of the author(s) and are not endorsed by BMJ. BMJ disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on the content. Where the content includes any translated material, BMJ does not warrant the accuracy and reliability of the translations (including but not limited to local regulations, clinical guidelines, terminology, drug names and drug dosages), and is not responsible for any error and/or omissions arising from translation and adaptation or otherwise.