Association between women´s exposure to intimate partner violence and the selfreport of genital discharge and ulcers

Abstract

Introduction: The association between violence against women and sexually
transmitted infections is controversial. Objective: To assess the association between
emotional, physical, and sexual intimate partner violence with self-reported
discharge and genital ulcer in women from participants in a population-based survey.
Methods: An analysis of the Demographic and Family Health Survey of Peru, 2021
was performed. Inclusion criteria were 15-49 years of age, married or cohabiting,
and selected and interviewed for the domestic violence module. The prevalence
of self-reported discharge and genital ulcer was estimated. The association with
intimate partner violence was performed by binary logistic regression with odds
ratio estimation, considering the complex sample design. Results: The prevalence of
reporting genital ulcer or discharge was 10.0%. The odds ratio for reporting genital
discharge or ulcer among women who suffered mild physical violence compared
with those not exposed was 2.25 (95%CI: 1.72-2.94), the risk increased to 3.42
(95%CI: 2.39-4.90) among women who suffered severe physical violence. The odds
ratio generated by exposure to sexual violence for reporting discharge or ulcer was
higher (odds ratio: 3.84, 95% CI: 2.47-5.96). Conclusions: Women exposed to each of
the three types of intimate partner violence had a higher chance of reporting genital
discharge or ulcer in the last 12 months. The risk increases when physical and sexual
violence coexist.