Spousal age difference and associated predictors of intimate partner violence in Nigeria

Background: The growth in Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) cases among couples in Nigeria has been significant in recent years. Victims, which are often females, face numerous health challenges, including early death. I examined the linkages between spousal age differences and IPV in Nigeria. Method: The couples recode data section of the 2013 Nigeria Demographic Health and Survey was used (n = 6765). Intimate partner violence was measured using 13-item questions. Data were analyzed using the logistic regression model (alpha = .05). Results: The mean spousal age difference was 8.20 +/- 5.0 years. About 23.5, 18.0, 13.5 and 4.7% of couples surveyed had experienced some form of IPV, emotional, physical and sexual violence respectively. Also, IPV prevalence was 27.0, 23.7, 22.0 and 18.7% among couples with age differences of 0-4, 5-9, 10-14 and >= 15 years respectively; this pattern was exhibited across all domains of IPV. Among women who experienced physical violence, 20.5% had only bruises, 8.0% had at least one case of eye injuries, sprains and/or dislocations, and 3.7% had either one or more cases of wounds, broken bones or broken teeth. The identified predictors of IPV were: family size, ethnicity, household wealth, education, number of marital unions and husband drinks alcohol. The unadjusted likelihood of IPV was 1.60 (C.I = 1.30-1.98, p < 0.001) and 1.35 (C.I = 1.10-1.64, p < 0.01) higher in households where the spousal age difference was 0-4 and 5-9 years respectively, than the likelihoods among those with a spousal age difference >= 15 years, but the strength of the association weakens when other variables were included in the model. Conclusion: The level of IPV was generally high in Nigeria, but it reduced with increasing spousal age difference. This study underscores the need for men to reach a certain level of maturity before marriage, as this is likely to reduce the level of IPV in Nigeria.