Effect of Quality of Spousal Relationship on Abortion Procurement in Peri-Urban Nigeria

Abimbola S. Phillips, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex (OAUTHC)
Akanni I. Akinyemi, Obafemi Awolowo University and University of the Witwatersrand
Bamidele Bello, Obafemi Awolowo University
Adesegun O. Fatusi, Obafemi Awolowo University

The study aimed at testing the hypothesis that quality of inter-spousal relationship significantly influences abortion procurement in peri-urban Nigeria. The data is from the FHWS-2010 closed-cohort study of 783 couples residing in selected households in a peri-urban community in Osun State, Nigeria. Among the 763 women reporting ever been pregnant, 7.9% had experienced induced abortion. Four dimensions of relationship quality - commitment, trust, satisfaction and communication - were analyzed on a couple basis for their individual and combined effects on abortion risk.Five logistic regression models each adjusting for covariates revealed only communication as a significant predictor of abortion (OR-0.41; p-value, 0.01 & OR-0.46; p-value-0.03, for the model having only communication as a measure of relationship quality, and the model having all dimensions included, respectively.The study concluded that communication between couples is an important dimension of relationship quality for reducing the risk of a woman procuring abortion in the study population.