The prevalence of intimate partner violence against women diagnosed with infertility in China: a national cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND

Intimate partner violence (IPV) and infertility are significant global health and human rights concerns. Evidence has shown that infertile women face a higher risk of IPV, yet national-level data on its prevalence remain limited. This study aims to quantify the prevalence of IPV against infertile women in China and identify associated risk factors.

METHODS

A national cross-sectional study was conducted in China from October 2021 to August 2022, using multistage stratified cluster sampling. Infertile women were recruited from 30 reproductive centers across ten provinces. A self-administered questionnaire, including the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS-2) and the Scale of Economic Abuse-12 (SEA-12), measured IPV in the past 12 months and over a lifetime. A structural equation model (SEM) explored risk factors for past-12-month IPV victimization.

RESULTS

A total of 12,392 infertile women were included. The weighted 12-month prevalence of IPV was 34.1% (95% CI, 33.2%-34.9%) and lifetime prevalence was 44.2% (95% CI, 43.3%-45.1%). SEM identified female-factor infertility (standardized coefficient, 0.0473; P = .01) and ever-experienced infertility treatment failure (0.0774; P < .001) as direct drivers of 12-month IPV victimization. Other factors included the participant's unstable employment (0.0442; P = .006), non-nuclear family structure (0.0479; P = .01), and current male partner's adverse behaviours (0.5470; P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

Globally, this is the first national-level study to examine IPV against infertile women, revealing a high prevalence rate in China. The findings underscored the need for gender-transformative interventions and policy measures, including improving access to infertility care, integrating IPV screening in clinical practice, and funding evidence-based research. Such approaches can reduce IPV, promote reproductive health, and advance health equity.