Experience of intimate partner violence and its influence on cancer patients' quality of life

Abstract

Abstract Background: This study investigated the experience of intimate partner violence (IPV) and its association with quality of life (QoL) in cancer patients. Methods: A descriptive quantitative cross-sectional survey design was used. Study participants comprising 144 patients with cancer were recruited from the Radiation Oncology Clinic, University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan. The Quality of Life in Adult Cancer Survivors (QLACS), Intimate Partner Conflict Experience (IPCE), and a demographic form were used for data collection. Data were analyzed using frequency, percentages, Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis, and Fisher exact tests. Results: The results showed that 25 (17.4%) of the 144 patients with cancer in the study reported experiencing IPV in the past 12 months. Psychological IPV was most commonly reported by 21 (84.0%) of those who experienced IPV. The results showed significant differences in IPV severity by gender (U = 28.50, Z = −2.176, P = 0.030) and marital status (U = 10.50, Z = −2.651, P = 0.008). Female patients with cancer and those who formerly lived with a spouse/partner reported more IPV severity. Fisher exact test ( P = 0.042) and χ 2 [(df = 1, n = 25) = 4.738, P = 0.030] confirm a significant association between IPV and QoL. Patients with cancer experiencing high IPV were more likely to have poorer QoL than those experiencing low IPV. Conclusion: These findings suggest that some patients with cancer experience the double jeopardy of IPV and cancer with significant consequences on their QoL. This underscores the need for targeted psychosocial interventions to identify and mitigate the adverse effects of IPV to improve QoL outcomes for affected patients with cancer.