Prevalence of Intimate Partner Violence among Male Local Government Workers in Ekiti State

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) against men is a global prevalent issue. It is the abuse that transpires within or outside a romantic relationship. It affects men and women equally but the cases of men are under-reported. The purpose of this study is to investigate the prevalence of intimate partner violence among male local government workers in Ekiti State. The study adopted a cross sectional descriptive research design using a quantitative method approach of data collection. Multistage sampling technique was used to select two hundred and eighteen (218) respondents from six local government areas in Ekiti State. Data were collected with the aid of adapted questionnaires. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis. The result showed that the average age of the respondents was approximately 43 years with 67.9% being within 36-51 years old and 79.4% were married with an average length of 13 years in relationship. The overall prevalence of IPV was 94.5% with psychological violence being the most prevalent (89.0%), followed by psychological violence (78.9%), then by sexual (39.9%) and physical (19.3%). IPV against men is prevalent and it is mostly psychological. The fact that physical assault is minimal does not mean that men are undergoing IPV. Hence nurses and other health workers should screen men who present with psychological symptoms for necessary help.