Variations in the association between polygyny and experience of intimate partner violence by husband's alcohol consumption: a cross-sectional study among postpartum women in Thailand.

BACKGROUND: Intimate partner violence is more common in polygynous couples than monogamous couples, but the extent that this association is modified by the husband's alcohol consumption is unknown. The objectives of this study are: (1) To describe the extent to which polygyny is associated with self-reported experience of intimate partner violence among women receiving postpartum care; (2) To describe the extent to which the mentioned association is modified by the husband's alcohol consumption. METHODS: We conducted a hospital-based cross-sectional study among women age 18 years or older receiving postpartum care at 8 public hospitals in 3 provinces in Northern and Northeastern Thailand using self-administered questionnaires. We analyzed data using descriptive statistics, logistic regression, and stratified analyses. RESULTS: A total of 1207 women agreed to participate in the study, 8% of whom reported that their husbands practiced polygyny. Women in a polygynous relationship were more likely than women in monogamous relationships to experience intimate partner violence (11.7% vs. 3.6%, Adjusted OR = 2.23; 95% CI = 0.94, 5.26). The prevalence of intimate partner violence was relatively low in both groups among women whose husbands did not drink (2.9% vs. 0%, Adjusted OR = N/A), and very high in both groups among those whose husbands binge-drank (46.2% vs. 20.8%, Adjusted OR = 9.54; 95% CI = 1.10, 82.54). However, the Breslow-Day Test of Homogeneity suggested that there was no statistically significant effect modification (p-value = 0.259). CONCLUSION: Stakeholders in intimate partner violence should consider both alcohol use (particularly binge-drinking) and polygyny as risk factors for intimate partner violence. However, caveats regarding study design, misclassification and potential information bias, and lack of generalizability should be considered in the interpretation of the study findings.

Association between age at first alcohol use and heavy episodic drinking: An analysis of Thailand's smoking and alcohol drinking behavior survey 2017.

According to evidence from developed countries, age at first alcohol use has been identified as a determinant of heavy episodic drinking (HED). This study aimed to investigate the association between age at first alcohol use and HED using data from the Smoking and Drinking Behavior Survey 2017, a Thai nationally representative survey. Binary logistic regression was used to examine the association. This study used data from 23,073 current drinkers in the survey. The survey participants were chosen to represent the Thai population aged 15 years and older. The prevalence of HED and frequent HED among Thai drinkers was 18.6% and 10.1%, respectively. Age at first drinking <20 years was associated with higher odds of HED (adjusted OR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.26-1.62) and frequent HED (adjusted OR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.12-1.53) relative to age at first drinking ≥25 years. Regular drinking, drinking at home, and exposure to alcohol advertising increased the odds of HED. Drinking at home was associated with frequent HED. There was a significant interaction between the effect of age at first alcohol use and sex on HED and frequent HED with a stronger effect of age at first alcohol use observed in females. This study provides evidence from a developing country that early onset of alcohol use is associated with HED. Effective measures such as tax and pricing policy should be enforced to delay the onset of drinking.