A scoping review of measurement of violence against women and disability

Considerations when asking about "disability" in disability inclusive research

PURPOSE

There are several ways to include "disability" in research studies, which can be confusing or overwhelming for researchers, community members, and students. The aim of this paper is to share conceptualizations of disability and how to ask about "disability" in research studies. The paper provides a general introduction and brief analysis of the methodological approaches which can be used.

METHODS

We used reviews of the literature and extensive discussions to identify key articles, books, websites, and reports that provide guidance and examples of asking about disability in research.

RESULTS

Four primary approaches to asking study participants about disability were identified. For each of these, we provide background information, key points about the ways to use the approach including tools that have been developed, and example studies. A comparison table provides a high-level overview of similarities and differences in approaches. Other approaches and tools were also identified and are briefly described.

CONCLUSION

Researchers involved in disability and rehabilitation research should be aware that there is not one best or singular way to ask about disability when conducting research. The approach or approaches chosen for a particular study need to match the purpose of the study. It is important that researchers take time to carefully consider their options and choose the best fit for their study.

Disability severity and risk of new or recurrent intimate partner violence - Evidence from a cohort study in rural Pakistan

BACKGROUND

People with disabilities are more likely to experience intimate partner violence (IPV) than those without. Most research examining the relationship between disability and IPV, however, is cross-sectional and approaches disability as a binary variable. This relationship is also important to consider in a South Asian context, where it may be affected by cultural norms surrounding IPV, and resources for people with disabilities.

OBJECTIVE

To estimate the degree to which disability severity increases the risk of subsequent IPV among a cohort of mothers living in rural Pakistan.

METHODS

Mothers from the Bachpan study (N = 869) with data for at least two consecutive waves between 1-, 2-, 3-, and 6-years postpartum were included in this study. Modified Poisson regression models were used to estimate the relationship between disability level in the preceding wave and psychological, physical, and sexual IPV in the following wave.

RESULTS

For psychological IPV, the risk ratio (RR) for medium severity was 1.27 (95 % CI: 1.10, 1.46) and the RR for high severity was 1.23 (95 % CI: 1.02, 1.48), relative to low severity. Physical IPV had a medium severity RR of 1.44 (95 % CI: 1.00, 2.06) and high severity RR of 1.60 (95 % CI: 1.02, 2.53). For sexual IPV, the medium severity RR was 1.35 (95 % CI: 1.05, 1.75) and the high severity RR was 1.53 (95 % CI: 1.11, 2.10).

CONCLUSIONS

This study supports that, in a low-income, rural South Asian context, mothers with disabilities are particularly susceptible to future psychological, physical, and sexual IPV.

Collaboration in providing intimate-partner violence services to women with disabilities

BACKGROUND

There is a consensus among scholars, policymakers, and implementers that addressing the complex nature of intimate partner violence (IPV) requires a collaborative response. However, there is limited literature on how various professionals work collaboratively to address the needs of women with disabilities who experience IPV. This study combines the perspectives of women with disabilities and those of professionals to understand collaboration in providing IPV services to women with disabilities.

METHODS

Twenty-nine in-depth interviews were conducted with 18 IPV service providers and 11 women with disabilities. The data were analyzed using reflective thematic analysis.

RESULTS

The findings are presented under three themes: the first shows a consensus among different IPV service providers and disabled women on the importance of collaboration when supporting victims of IPV with disabilities; the second depicts the common ways in which collaboration occurs when supporting women with disabilities; and the third illuminates the critical elements that boost effective collaboration.

CONCLUSION

Supporting IPV victims with disabilities requires active collaboration at both an internal and external level. Strengthening collaboration among different actors requires trust, specified roles, and the allocation of adequate resources.

Systematic Review Overview: Violence Against Adults with Disabilities

This study aimed to conduct an overview of systematic reviews in the field of violence against adults with disability. Eight electronic databases as well as gray literature from January 2022 to April 2023 were searched to identify systematic reviews that focused on violence against adults with disabilities. A total of 13 high-quality systematic reviews were included in the overview. Findings show that adults with disabilities experience a higher rate of emotional and physical violence than the general population. Sociodemographic, financial, and cultural risk factors, prevention, and treatment approaches were discussed. Although the large body of studies on disability and violence have explored different aspects of the issue, there are some limitations and gaps in the literature that need further attention. The most important gap in the literature is the lack of attention to diversity. Accordingly, there is little knowledge about disability and violence in a variety of geographical locations. In addition, studies on violence based on ethnicity/race, age, gender identifications, and some types of disabilities such as hearing impairments or severe disabilities were scarce. There is a need to reach diverse populations of adults with disabilities, through employing a variety of data collection methods and qualitative research methodology. Prevention and treatment programs should be developed with attention to types of disability, and they should be culturally and linguistically sensitive.

People with intellectual disability and their risk of exposure to violence: Identification and prevention - a literature review

The aim of the literature review was to identify knowledge and knowledge gaps concerning risks of violence toward children, youth, adults and elderly with intellectual disabilities, and how risks can be identified and prevented. The research revealed that children, youths and adults labelled with intellectual disabilities are more exposed to violence than others and that the target group lack knowledge about risks of violence and what it means to be exposed to violence. It was also found that professionals who work with people with intellectual disabilities may lack knowledge about violence, and those who work with violence lack knowledge about intellectual disabilities. There is thus a need to further elaborate routines to identify exposure to violence, and to identify the target group and a need to create collaborative teams with professionals who have in-depth knowledge of violence, and those who have in-depth knowledge about the target group.

Violence Against Women as a Global Public Health Issue

Violence against women, especially intimate partner violence, is recognized as a global public health issue due to its prevalence and global reach. This article outlines the scope of the issue, with respect to its prevalence, health outcomes, and risk factors, and identifies key milestones that led to its global recognition: methodological and data advances, acknowledgment as a criminal justice and health issue, support by the global women's movement, and the robust evidence demonstrating that intimate partner violence is preventable. Key issues for the future include recognition and consideration of intersectionality in research, improvements in the measurement of other forms of violence against women, and the need to scale up prevention efforts that have documented success. Violence against women is an urgent priority as it affects individuals, their families and surroundings, and the entire global health community.

Prevalence of Functional Disabilities and Associations Among Disabilities, Violence, and HIV Among Adolescents and Young Adults in Lesotho

INTRODUCTION

Lesotho has the second-highest prevalence of HIV. Despite progress in achieving HIV epidemic control targets, inequities persist among certain groups, particularly associations between disability, HIV, and violence. We assessed the prevalence of disability and examined associations between disability and HIV and violence using data from the 2018 Lesotho Violence Against Children and Youth Survey (VACS).

METHODS

Lesotho VACS was a nationally representative survey of females and males ages 13-24. We assessed the associations between disability status and HIV, sexual risk behaviours, and violence using logistic regression, incorporating survey weights.

RESULTS

Weighted functional disability prevalence was 14.1% for females (95% confidence interval [CI] 12.7-15.4) and 7.3% for males (5.3-9.2). Compared with females with no disabilities, females with disabilities had higher odds of being HIV positive (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.92, 1.34-2.76), having transactional sex (aOR 1.79, 1.09-2.95), and experiencing any lifetime violence (aOR 2.20, 1.82-2.65), sexual violence (aOR 1.77, 1.36-2.31), emotional violence (2.02. 1.61-2.53), physical violence (aOR 1.85, 1.54-2.24), witnessing interparental violence (aOR 1.71, 1.46-2.01), and witnessing community violence (aOR 1.52, 1.26-1.84). Males with disabilities had higher odds of having transactional sex (aOR 4.30, 1.35-13.73), having recent multiple sex partners (aOR 2.31, 1.13-4.75), experiencing emotional violence (aOR 2.85, 1.39-5.82), and witnessing interparental violence (aOR 1.78, 1.12-2.84). HIV models for males did not converge due to low numbers.

CONCLUSION

Findings emphasize the importance of inclusion and accessibility for adolescents and young adults with disabilities in prevention and services for violence and HIV. Ending HIV in Lesotho depends on addressing the vulnerabilities that lead to potential infection including violence and ensuring equitable services for all.

Elder abuse experienced by older Mexican women with disabilities: a current and retrospective view on domestic violence

The objectives of this study were: 1) to estimate the prevalence of child abuse (CA), intimate partner violence (IPV), and elder abuse (EA) in a representative sample of older Mexican women by status, type, and cause of disability; and 2) to examine the associations of EA with CA, IPV, and disability status. We conducted a secondary data analysis of 21,718 women aged 60 years and older. Older women with disabilities had higher prevalences of CA, IPV, and EA than those with some difficulties or without disabilities. In older women whose disability was acquired at birth or due to aggression, this prevalence was especially high. Older women with disabilities and a history of CA and IPV were twice as likely to suffer EA. Policymakers and government leaders should incorporate the matter of violence against women with disabilities into their public agendas. This should be done while considering the women's various disabilities and causes of disability.

Disability and intimate partner violence: a cross-sectional study from Mwanza, Tanzania

BACKGROUND

Women with disabilities are at heightened risk of experiencing intimate partner violence [IPV], although the mechanisms through which disability acts as a risk factor for IPV are not clear.

OBJECTIVE

We analyzed cross-sectional data (n = 867) from Wave 3 of the MAISHA longitudinal study, conducted in Mwanza, Tanzania, to i) describe the levels of disability and IPV amongst women, and ii) to assess the association between level and type of disability and IPV experience.

METHODS

IPV was assessed using the WHO Multi-Country study instrument. Levels of disability (none, mild and severe) were categorized based on responses to the Washington Group Short Set questions. We fitted logistic regression models to determine the risk of experiencing each type of IPV according to disability level and type of disability.

RESULTS

We found significant associations between mild and severe disability and different types of IPV. For example, in multivariate analyses controlling for socio-demographic variables, women reporting severe disability were significantly more likely to report physical and/or sexual IPV, sexual IPV. controlling behaviors, economic IPV, and severe IPV, whereas for mild disability compared to no disability, physical and/or sexual IPV, sexual IPV, and economic IPV were significantly more likely to be reported. Cognitive disability was a significant correlate of all forms of IPV apart from physical IPV.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings that specific types of disability and not others were associated with an elevated risk of IPV exposure indicate the need for nuanced measurement and analysis of the association between disability and IPV.

Intimate partner violence experienced by women living with-and without-disability in the European Union. A quantitative intersectional analysis

This article aims to explore the specific combination and interactions of inequalities associated with experiencing Intimate Partner Violence that affects European women living with-or without-a disability. The analysis is based on the survey carried out by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) between 2010 and 2012. In that survey, 42,002 women were interviewed, with a representative sample of women from each of the 28 countries of the European Union. We try to elucidate through a multiple logistic regression analysis if the experience of IPV is something that can simply be added to-or overlap with-social categories (feeling of household income, educational level, and marital status), the aggressor (partner abusing alcohol, partner violent against others), the relationship (duration, equal say in economic decisions), and the previous experience of IPV. The result of the analysis shows that living with a disability intersects with low income, which comes hand in hand with experiencing more violence. Other interactions like living with a disability when the woman is under 15 years and living with a disability and the partner abusing alcohol are also relevant. In terms of social policies, our result should induce investment in IPV prevention policies among poor women who live with a disability, who have a history of physical violence, and whose partners abuse alcohol.