Intimate partner violence against women in Ethiopia: An umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses

Introduction Intimate partner violence is a major global public health concern and a serious human rights violation, involving physical, sexual, and psychological abuse within intimate relationships. Worldwide, about one in three women experiences intimate partner violence during their lifetime. Accordingly, this study aims to estimate the overall prevalence and identify the key predictors of intimate partner violence in Ethiopia. Methods A comprehensive systematic search was carried out in PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and African Journals Online to identify relevant systematic reviews and meta-analyses on the prevalence and predictors of intimate partner violence against women in Ethiopia. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using the AMSTAR-2. A random-effects meta-analysis was conducted using STATA version 18 to generate pooled estimates. Results This umbrella review synthesized evidence from six systematic reviews and meta-analyses comprising 80 primary studies involving 43,785 women. The overall prevalence of intimate partner violence was 35% (95% CI: 28–42%), with substantial heterogeneity across reviews (I 2 = 83.48%). It also revealed a prevalence of 32% (95% CI: 26–37%) among pregnant women and 33% (95% CI: 25–40%) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The prevalence of specific forms of violence was estimated at 18% (95% CI: 14–22%) for sexual violence, 19% (95% CI: 15–23%) for physical violence, and 27% (95% CI: 23–31%) for psychological violence. Key predictors of IPV included both partners’ and women’s educational status, partner alcohol consumption, women’s decision-making power, substance use, and income loss during the COVID-19 pandemic, with all associations found to be statistically significant. Conclusion This umbrella review shows that intimate partner violence remains a major public health issue in Ethiopia, affecting over one-third of women. Strengthening policy implementation and expanding survivor-centered services are essential to reduce IPV and advance Sustainable Development Goal 5.