Intimate Partner Violence and Symptoms of Sexually Transmitted Infections among Married Indian Women

Amy K. Winter, Princeton University

There is relatively little work that has assessed associations between intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual health outcomes for women in low income countries. This study examines the association between self-reported verbal, physical, and sexual IPV and symptoms of sexually transmitted infections among 65,610 married Indian women. Data are from the 2005-2006 Indian National Family Health Survey-III. Regression models are fitted to two symptoms of STIs (genital sores, and abnormal genital discharge). Key covariates are experiences of three types of violence and the combined effect of multiple types of violence on STI symptoms. Results indicate that experiencing any type of IPV is independently associated with increased odds for STI symptoms. Additionally, the more types of IPV a woman experiences the more likely she is to report STI symptoms. It is important to link IPV and gynecologic health services in India, especially for women who experience all three types of IPV.