,
Balogun Mobolanle,
Maduafokwa Blossom Adaeze,
Nwohiri Ijeoma Celine,
Ezekiel Evbusogie,
Disrespect and abuse (D&A) during childbirth violate human rights and undermine maternal care. Women expect compassion and respect, yet abusive care discourages facility-based childbirth, contributing to Nigeria’s high maternal mortality rate of 512 per 100,000 live births. This study examines the prevalence, patterns, and perpetrators of disrespect and abuse in Lagos State. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence, patterns, and perpetrators of disrespect and abuse experienced by women during childbirth. A cross-sectional community-based study, using mixed methods, was conducted among mothers residing in Lagos State who had given birth within six months prior to the study. Multistage sampling was used to select 524 mothers. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25. The prevalence of disrespect and abuse was 87%, with non-consented care (79.8%) being the most common. Stigma/discrimination (4.6%) and detention (4.6%) were least reported. Nurses/midwives (59.4%) were the primary perpetrators. The study revealed a high prevalence of disrespect and abuse, primarily by nurses/midwives indicating that training healthcare providers on respectful maternity care (RMC) is essential. These findings therefore will inform policies promoting respectful maternal care in Nigeria to achieve improved health outcomes.
| Published in | World Journal of Public Health (Volume 10, Issue 3) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.wjph.20251003.19 |
| Page(s) | 282-291 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Respectful Maternity Care, Disrespect and Abuse, Maternal Health, Childbirth, Nigeria, Mixed Methods, Nurses/Midwives, Community-based Study
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APA Style
Nene, W. B., Mobolanle, B., Adaeze, M. B., Celine, N. I., Evbusogie, E., et al. (2025). Prevalence, Patterns and Perpetrators of Disrespect and Abuse of Women During Childbirth in Lagos State, Nigeria. World Journal of Public Health, 10(3), 282-291. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.wjph.20251003.19
ACS Style
Nene, W. B.; Mobolanle, B.; Adaeze, M. B.; Celine, N. I.; Evbusogie, E., et al. Prevalence, Patterns and Perpetrators of Disrespect and Abuse of Women During Childbirth in Lagos State, Nigeria. World J. Public Health 2025, 10(3), 282-291. doi: 10.11648/j.wjph.20251003.19
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author = {Wika-Kobani Barine Nene and Balogun Mobolanle and Maduafokwa Blossom Adaeze and Nwohiri Ijeoma Celine and Ezekiel Evbusogie and Giwa Opeyemi and Ibenye-Ugbala Chioma and Matti Oluwadamilola and Abdulkareem Aisha},
title = {Prevalence, Patterns and Perpetrators of Disrespect and Abuse of Women During Childbirth in Lagos State, Nigeria
},
journal = {World Journal of Public Health},
volume = {10},
number = {3},
pages = {282-291},
doi = {10.11648/j.wjph.20251003.19},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.wjph.20251003.19},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.wjph.20251003.19},
abstract = {Disrespect and abuse (D&A) during childbirth violate human rights and undermine maternal care. Women expect compassion and respect, yet abusive care discourages facility-based childbirth, contributing to Nigeria’s high maternal mortality rate of 512 per 100,000 live births. This study examines the prevalence, patterns, and perpetrators of disrespect and abuse in Lagos State. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence, patterns, and perpetrators of disrespect and abuse experienced by women during childbirth. A cross-sectional community-based study, using mixed methods, was conducted among mothers residing in Lagos State who had given birth within six months prior to the study. Multistage sampling was used to select 524 mothers. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25. The prevalence of disrespect and abuse was 87%, with non-consented care (79.8%) being the most common. Stigma/discrimination (4.6%) and detention (4.6%) were least reported. Nurses/midwives (59.4%) were the primary perpetrators. The study revealed a high prevalence of disrespect and abuse, primarily by nurses/midwives indicating that training healthcare providers on respectful maternity care (RMC) is essential. These findings therefore will inform policies promoting respectful maternal care in Nigeria to achieve improved health outcomes.},
year = {2025}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - Prevalence, Patterns and Perpetrators of Disrespect and Abuse of Women During Childbirth in Lagos State, Nigeria AU - Wika-Kobani Barine Nene AU - Balogun Mobolanle AU - Maduafokwa Blossom Adaeze AU - Nwohiri Ijeoma Celine AU - Ezekiel Evbusogie AU - Giwa Opeyemi AU - Ibenye-Ugbala Chioma AU - Matti Oluwadamilola AU - Abdulkareem Aisha Y1 - 2025/07/28 PY - 2025 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.wjph.20251003.19 DO - 10.11648/j.wjph.20251003.19 T2 - World Journal of Public Health JF - World Journal of Public Health JO - World Journal of Public Health SP - 282 EP - 291 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2637-6059 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.wjph.20251003.19 AB - Disrespect and abuse (D&A) during childbirth violate human rights and undermine maternal care. Women expect compassion and respect, yet abusive care discourages facility-based childbirth, contributing to Nigeria’s high maternal mortality rate of 512 per 100,000 live births. This study examines the prevalence, patterns, and perpetrators of disrespect and abuse in Lagos State. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence, patterns, and perpetrators of disrespect and abuse experienced by women during childbirth. A cross-sectional community-based study, using mixed methods, was conducted among mothers residing in Lagos State who had given birth within six months prior to the study. Multistage sampling was used to select 524 mothers. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25. The prevalence of disrespect and abuse was 87%, with non-consented care (79.8%) being the most common. Stigma/discrimination (4.6%) and detention (4.6%) were least reported. Nurses/midwives (59.4%) were the primary perpetrators. The study revealed a high prevalence of disrespect and abuse, primarily by nurses/midwives indicating that training healthcare providers on respectful maternity care (RMC) is essential. These findings therefore will inform policies promoting respectful maternal care in Nigeria to achieve improved health outcomes. VL - 10 IS - 3 ER -
Department of Community Health, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria
Department of Community Health and Primary Care, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria
Department of Community Health, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria
Department of Community Health, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria
Department of Community Health, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria
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