Association between polygyny and justification of violence among women in sexual unions in sub-Saharan Africa
BMC Public Health. 2025 May 9;25(1):1719. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-22581-y.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: There remains a dearth of comprehensive understanding of the fundamental origins of intimate partner violence within the context of marital structure. This study examines the association between polygyny and justification of violence among women in sub-Saharan Africa.
METHODS: We used up-to-date data from the Demographic and Health Surveys of twenty-one sub-Saharan African countries. A multilevel binary mixed-effect regression analysis was used to examine the association between polygyny status and justification of violence, controlling for potential covariates. The results were presented utilising adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI).
RESULTS: Women whose husbands/partners had other wives (co-wives) (aOR = 1.35; 95% CI 1.30, 1.40) had higher odds of justifying wife beating if wife goes out without telling compared to those whose husbands/partners had no co-wives. Similar results were obtained concerning the association between polygyny and justification of wife beating if wife burns food (aOR = 1.31; 95% CI 1.25, 1.36), neglects children (aOR = 1.31; 95% CI 1.27, 1.36), argues with the husband (aOR = 1.37; 95% CI 1.32, 1.43), and refuses to have sex with her husband (aOR = 1.30; 95% CI 1.25, 1.35).
CONCLUSIONS: The endorsement of violence against women within relationships, irrespective of the rationale, undermines worldwide and national endeavours aimed at tackling the issue of intimate partner violence and its associated repercussions. It is imperative to implement diverse approaches to effectively tackle the situation. Increased education and awareness campaigns focused on intimate partner violence are expected to play significant roles in effectively tackling this issue. Implementing punitive measures against individuals who perpetrate intimate partner violence upon their partners could also be adopted.
Global Health. 2025 May 9;21(1):27. doi: 10.1186/s12992-025-01106-7.ABSTRACTBACKGROUND: Injuries represent a major threat to child health globally. In the US, firearm injuries are the leading cause...
Inj Epidemiol. 2025 May 9;12(1):26. doi: 10.1186/s40621-025-00576-y.ABSTRACTBACKGROUND: Repeat self-harm hospitalizations are associated with a greater risk of suicide and place a substantial burden on the...
BMC Psychol. 2025 May 9;13(1):493. doi: 10.1186/s40359-025-02796-9.ABSTRACTBACKGROUND: Adolescence represents a pivotal stage marked by substantial physiological and psychological transformations, during which prosocial behavior and suicide...
Alzheimers Dement. 2025 May;21(5):e70206. doi: 10.1002/alz.70206.ABSTRACTINTRODUCTION: Sex differences exist in Alzheimer's disease (AD), but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.METHODS: We examined brain proteomes profiled from...
Alzheimers Dement. 2025 May;21(5):e70248. doi: 10.1002/alz.70248.ABSTRACTINTRODUCTION: Clinical features associated with accurate clinico-pathologic correlation within cognitive-predominant progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) presentations have not been extensively studied....
Borderline Personal Disord Emot Dysregul. 2025 May 9;12(1):15. doi: 10.1186/s40479-025-00294-3.ABSTRACTBACKGROUND: Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a severe mental health condition that requires intensive psychotherapeutic treatment....
