Prevalence of Intimate Partner Violence and Association with Wealth in Myanmar

This study explores the prevalence of physical, sexual and emotional intimate partner violence in Myanmar, attitudes towards violence, and the association between wealth and intimate partner violence. We analysed a nationally representative sample of 3425 married women aged 15-49 years from Myanmar Demographic and Health survey 2015-2016. In this cross-sectional study, data was collected by in-person interviews using a standardized questionnaire. Wealth was operationalized into five groups depending on how much the household owns. Intimate partner violence was measured based on the standard methods of Demographic and Health Survey. The overall prevalence of intimate partner violence (physical, sexual and emotional) was 20.6% (95% confidence interval (95% CI) 18.9-22.3). Less severe physical intimate partner violence was reported by 14.8% (95% CI 13.5-16.3), while 4.4% (95% CI 3.8-5.2) reported severe physical violence. The prevalence of sexual and emotional violence were 2.8% (95% CI 2.2-3.6) and 13.1% (95% CI 11.7-14.6), respectively. Many women believed that a husband has the right to beat his wife if she acts inappropriate, with the highest prevalence at 43% of the women justifying beating if the wife neglects her children. In logistic regression analysis, low wealth as compared with higher wealth, was associated with a higher prevalence of intimate partner violence. The results reveals that intimate partner violence against ever-married women in Myanmar is present, that many women justify beating, and that wealth and intimate partner violence is associated.