PREVALENCE, FORMS, COPING STRATEGIES, CONSEQUENCES AND RISK FACTORS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AMONG WOMEN OF CHILDBEARING AGE IN AKWA IBOM STATE, NIGERIA: A RURAL-URBAN COMPARISON BY ENEH NCHIEK EDET.

Domestic violence (DV) is a 'pandemic' with an estimated 30% of women experiencing violence by their intimate partner. This study aimed to determine and compare the prevalence, forms, risk factors, coping strategies, and consequences of DV among WCBA in rural and urban areas in Akwa Ibom State (AKS). The study, conducted in 2022, was a comparative cross-sectional study that used a mixed method of data collection. Four communities were chosen via multistage sampling, three in rural and one in urban areas. A total of 1,054 respondents participated in the survey. An interviewer-administered semi-structured questionnaire and FGD guide were used for data collection. The response rate was 99%. Both descriptive and inferential data analysis were used to answer the research questions. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. The results showed that DV was prevalent in urban and rural areas in the 12 months that preceded the study (36.4 and 36. 2%). Physical, verbal and sexual abuse were more prevalent in urban areas than rural areas (41.6% vs 38.7%,65.7% vs 63.4% and 39.5% vs 25.6% respectively) p = 0.001. Moreover, the odds of emotional abuse also increased eightfold in urban than in rural areas while FGD showed physical violence as prevalent and the most harmful effect of DV was noted in rural areas than urban. It was concluded that the prevalence of DV among WCBA in both rural and urban areas in AKS was high with verbal violence being the highest. Various forms and risk factors of DV were more prevalent in urban than rural areas.