Prevalence of intimate partner violence among female undergraduate university students in Kampala–uganda

Abstract

The study set out to determine the prevalence of Intimate partner violence among female undergraduate university students in Kampala district, Uganda. The objectives of the study were to describe the prevalence of physical, sexual and emotional IPV among female undergraduate university students in Kampala district, Uganda. The study population was finalists of the Bachelors of Social Work and Social Administration course in their 3rd year at Makerere University. The study was a survey that adopted a quantitative method of data collection. Data was collected through the use of a structured self-administered questionnaire from a sample of 62 finalists' female undergraduate university students in their last year of study in the social work class, at Makerere University. To analyze the data, questionnaires were edited for completeness before being entered into the computer using the SPSS computer program. The main analysis was descriptive, although inferences were also used, through bivariate correlations to establish the relationships between age and forms of lPV. The study findings show a high prevalence of IPV among female students at Makerere University. Emotional IPV is the most prevalent form of violence and was universally reported by all students who had ever been in an intimate relationship, followed by sexual violence (47.5%). Physical violence was the least prevalent and was reported by 27.5% of the respondents. The high prevalence of emotional violence suggests a normalization of degrading behavior among young persons. Sexual violence was also rather high affected close to one in two of female students. A consideration of the wider environment in which patriarchal values that perpetuate gender based violence suggests an urgent need for interventions to respond to IPV within the student population. The study recommends for further research on the antecedents, causes and effects of IPV among female university students.