Comparison of Domestic Violence Among Pregnant Women in Rural and Urban Areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Health Sci Rep. 2026 Aug 2;9(8):e72944. doi: 10.1002/hsr2.72944. eCollection 2026 Aug.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To compare the patterns of domestic violence among pregnant women residing in rural and urban areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

METHODS: This cross-sectional comparative study included 500 pregnant women (250 rural, 250 urban) attending the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Domestic violence was measured using the 25-item Domestic Violence Scale, covering seven domains: neglect, psychological, spiritual, verbal, economic, physical, and sexual violence. Independent variables included residence, age, education, occupation, socioeconomic status, trimester, and awareness of support services. Group comparisons were performed using the Chi-square and the Mann-Whitney U tests. Linear regression analysis identified factors independently associated with domestic violence.

RESULTS: Rural women had significantly higher domestic violence scores than urban women (p < 0.001), with lower awareness of support services (22.0% vs. 70.6%; p = 0.001). All violence domains were significantly higher in rural participants (p < 0.001). Regression analysis showed urban residence was associated with lower violence scores (β = -7.04; p < 0.001), while the third trimester was associated with higher scores (β = 2.58; p = 0.039); other variables were not significant after adjustment.

CONCLUSION: Pregnant women residing in rural areas demonstrated greater vulnerability to domestic violence. In the adjusted analysis, urban residence was associated with lower violence scores, whereas the third trimester was associated with increased scores.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: N/A.

PMID:42548850 | PMC:PMC13430061 | DOI:10.1002/hsr2.72944