Gynaecological morbidities among married women and husband's behaviour: Evidence from a community-based study.
Tazeen Saeed Ali, Neelofar Sami, Adil Ali Saeed and 1 others
PMID 33570305WHAT IT FOUND
Women in Karachi who reported painful sex, urinary leakage or genital ulcers also reported more negative husband attitudes and intimate partner violence.
These are associations, not proof that symptoms caused abuse.
Key findings
01Among 1,002 women, 15.7% reported physical abuse, 19.7% sexual abuse and 43.4% psychological abuse during the past year.
02As the number of reported gynaecological symptoms rose to six, negative husband attitudes increased; at seven or more, attitudes became more supportive.
03Constant dribbling of urine and dyspareunia were associated with physical and psychological violence; dyspareunia was not associated with sexual violence; genital ulcers were associated with physical and sexual violence.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study relied on women's self-report about sensitive symptoms, husband behaviour and violence, and the authors say answers may not have been completely truthful. The paper collected only the woman's perspective, so the husband's own experience and motivation were not measured. The sample came from urban squatter settlements in Karachi, so it may not apply to rural areas or other populations. The study was cross-sectional, so it can show associations but cannot show that gynaecological symptoms caused negative attitudes or violence. Only 945 of the 1,002 women underwent physical and pelvic examinations, and the paper does not report laboratory infection results. The analysis did not include a multivariate model for confounders such as parity history.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these associations as proof that gynaecological symptoms caused husband's negative attitudes or intimate partner violence. The study measured women's reports at one time, did not include husbands, and did not test treatment, screening or referral.