The Impact of Intimate Partner Violence on Quality of Life among Afghan Refugee Women in Iran.

Refugee and migrant women are especially vulnerable to intimate partner violence (IPV), which can adversely affect their health and well-being. This study examined the association between IPV and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among Afghan refugee women living in the Torbat Jam camp, Iran. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 226 married Afghan women who had resided in the camp for at least one year and were living with their husbands or partners. Participants were selected via random sampling from electronic health records. Inclusion criteria included willingness to participate and cognitive ability to complete the questionnaire. HRQoL was assessed using the SF-12 questionnaire, and IPV was measured using the Haj-Yahia Violence Against Women Questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential analyses were performed using SPSS v26. 65% of women reported experiencing at least one form of IPV in the past two months. Psychological violence was the most common. Women exposed to physical IPV had significantly lower QoL scores (p = 0.012). No significant differences were found in QoL scores for emotional, sexual, or economic IPV. Strong intercorrelations were observed among types of IPV. IPV is highly prevalent and adversely associated with women's quality of life, particularly in its physical dimension. Multisectoral policies and culturally tailored interventions are essential to support refugee women.