Disability and intimate partner violence experience among women in rural Samoa: A cross-sectional analysis

Background: Women with disabilities experience higher rates of intimate partner violence (IPV). Evidence suggests this violence often manifests in more subtle and severe forms over longer periods of time. There is limited evidence on this association in the Pacific Islands region, despite facing one of the highest global prevalences of IPV.

Objective: Examine the prevalence of disability and the association between disability and types of IPV experience among women in rural Samoa as part of the EVE Project.

Methods: This study analysed cross-sectional data collected with nine communities in rural Samoa between December 2022 and February 2023. Enumerators collected data with 707 women on tablets using REDCap. IPV was measured using the standardised Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) domestic violence methodology. Disability was assessed using the Washington Group questions. Logistic regression was conducted to examine the association between disability and experiences of IPV (physical, sexual, emotional and economic violence) among women.

Results: Having a disability was significantly associated with increased IPV experience among women in this study. When controlling for age and education, women with severe disability were significantly more likely to experience sexual (OR 4.31; p = 0.01) and emotional (OR 2.87; p = 0.02) IPV, when compared to women with no disability.

Conclusions: Our findings point towards a greater vulnerability of women with disabilities to IPV, and particularly sexual and emotional IPV, in rural Samoa. Qualitative research in partnership with women with disabilities is essential to inform the design of measurement tools and prevention programmes that are grounded in the context-specific experiences and needs of all women with disabilities.