Objective: To determine the prevalence and factors associated with disrespect and abuse during childbirth among women who delivered in a University Teaching Hospital using a validated tool.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Benin Teaching Hospital. Participants included women who presented for the 6-week postnatal visit. The primary outcome was the experience of disrespect and abuse by the women in any of the thematic domains in the tool, namely friendly care, abuse-free care, timely care, discrimination-free care, abandonment, and non-consented care.
Results: In all, 200 participants were enrolled in the study. The prevalence of disrespect and abuse among the study population was 36.5%. Verbal abuse and untimely care were the commonest (15.5%). Nurses were mostly the perpetrators of disrespect and abuse. Maternal age, parity, and marital status among others were not significantly predictive of disrespect and abuse by respondents.
Conclusion: Disrespect and abuse from health workers during childbirth is a prevalent problem among women who delivered in the hospital. This undesirable experience of childbirth needs to be addressed by stakeholders in maternal health.
Keywords: Nigeria; abandonment; disrespect and abuse; friendly care; respectful maternity care; timely care.
© 2023 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.