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Evidence From a National Bangladeshi Sample

Jay G. Silverman, PhD; Michele R. Decker, ScD; Jhumka Gupta, ScD; Nitin Kapur, MD, MPH; Anita Raj, PhD; Ruchira T. Naved, PhD

Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2009;163(8):700-705.

Objective  To provide an estimate of the risk of recent acute respiratory tract infection (ARI) and diarrhea among children 5 years and younger based on recent violence against their mothers.

Design  The 2004 Bangladesh Demographic Health Survey, conducted from January 1 to May 31, 2004.

Setting  Selected urban and rural areas of Bangladesh.

Participants  A total of 1592 women currently married, with at least 1 child 5 years of age or younger, each living with her husband and child(ren).

Main Exposure  Intimate partner violence (IPV) against women.

Outcomes Measures  The prevalence of past-year IPV was calculated. The risk of ARI and diarrhea within the past 2 weeks among young children was determined based on maternal experiences of IPV within the past year via analyses adjusted for demographics and environmental risks.

Results  More than 2 of 5 married Bangladeshi mothers (42.4%) with children aged 5 years and younger experienced IPV from their husbands in the past year. Mothers who experienced IPV were more likely to report recent ARI (adjusted odds ratio, 1.37; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-1.83) and diarrhea (adjusted odds ratio, 1.65; 95% confidence interval, 1.15-2.38) among their young children compared with those who did not experience IPV.

Conclusions  Large numbers of married Bangladeshi women with young children experience IPV. Associations of maternal experiences of IPV with 2 leading causes of childhood mortality strongly suggest that such abuse threatens not only the health of women but also that of their children. Prevention of IPV perpetration by men may be critical to the improvement of maternal and child health.

Author Affiliations: Harvard School of Public Health (Drs Silverman, Decker, Gupta, and Kapur) and Boston University School of Public Health (Dr Raj), Boston, Massachusetts; and International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh (Dr Naved).

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