The Psychosocial Impacts of Intimate Partner Violence against Women in LMIC Contexts: Toward a Holistic Approach

Preliminary study of the role of social support in cycles of intimate partner violence

Background: Parents' experiences of IPV are associated with an increased risk for their children to experience IPV. However, the factors that may contribute to intergenerational IPV, particularly between adult mothers and daughters, are still poorly understood. To fill this gap in the literature, this preliminary study examines the moderating role of social support in IPV cycles among Cameroonian mother-daughter dyads.Method: Sixty-one mother-daughter dyads completed questionnaires individually. We performed moderation analysis to examine if the association between mothers' experiences of IPV and daughters' experiences of IPV was moderated by daughters' social support.Results: Results showed that social support influences the strength of the association between mothers' and daughters' IPV victimization. As levels of social support reported by daughters increased, the strength of the association between their and their mothers' experiences of IPV victimization decreased. At high levels of social support, this association was no longer significant (b = 0.09, SE = 0.27, t = 0.34, p > .05).Conclusion: Support from family and friends is important in contexts of intergenerational IPV; thus, interventions aimed at preventing and reducing IPV may aim to strengthen these informal support systems to mitigate the effect of IPV.

Male social embeddedness and intimate partner violence perpetration in Tanzania: A cross-sectional study of young Tanzanian men

OBJECTIVES

Social embeddedness - or lack thereof - has been associated with a number of antisocial behaviours, including perpetration of intimate partner violence (IPV). The prevalence of IPV in Tanzania remains high, yet the influence of perceived social connection on IPV and coercive control perpetration in young African men has remained mostly unexplored.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional survey among 1,002 young Tanzanian men aged 18 to 24 living in Mwanza, Tanzania. We assessed the association between feelings of being socially supported and embedded - measured using the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey Instrument (MOS-SSSI) - and perpetration of physical, sexual and emotional IPV and coercive control. After conducting unadjusted logistic regressions to probe crude associations, we used a step-wise approach to build separate logistic regression models for every form of IPV perpetration accounting for individual-, interpersonal-, and community-level factors.

RESULTS

In our sub-sample of young men who have ever been in a relationship (n = 828), 21% reported perpetrating physical IPV (n = 177), 27% sexual IPV (n = 222), 51% emotional IPV (n = 423), and 83% coercive control (n = 688). Overall scores and scores on every sub-scale of the MOS-SSSI measuring perceived support were high. In the crude analysis, only coercive control perpetration was significantly associated with social support overall (OR: 1.44, 95% CI: 1.23-1.69) and in every sub-scale. These associations remained significant in adjusted models, showing that higher levels of social embeddedness are associated with significantly higher odds of reporting enacting coercive control (OR: 1.45, 95% CI: 1.24-1.69).

CONCLUSIONS

Male socialisation plays a significant role in what young men perceive as acceptable and unacceptable behaviours within their communities. Young men who spend more time with their peers might be receiving messaging that reinforces masculine norms of control over their female partners, which translate in higher reported coercive control perpetration.

Mental Health and Quality of Life in Ecuadorian Women Exposed to Gender-Based Violence

Violence Against Women is a global problem that affects millions of women around the world. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the Mental Health and Quality of Life of Ecuadorian women exposed or not exposed to Gender Violence mediated by sociodemographic factors. A total of 433 Ecuadorian women, 18 to 64 years of age, most of whom (69%) reported being exposed to gender violence. Most of the women lived in the province of Pichincha and were selected through a type of nonprobabilistic sampling based on a survey about gender violence. Women exposed to gender violence showed a greater impact on personality profiles, clinical tests, and quality of life in the physical, psychological, social, and environmental domains compared to women not exposed to violence. In addition, these effects were mediated by age, economic level, education, marital status, and exposure to physical violence and psychological or sexual abuse within the socio-family or work contexts. The results of this study could contribute to improving public health systems, showing improvements in care programs for victims of violence.

Impact of Intimate Partner Violence on mental health among married women in Sri Lanka: a study based on Women's Wellbeing Survey-2019

BACKGROUND

Sri Lankan married women have been reported to experience higher rates of intimate partner violence (IPV). However, research on its impact on mental health and how socio-demographic factors contribute to this association is limited. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the impact of IPV on the mental health of married women in Sri Lanka.

METHODS

In this study, data from 1611 married women who participated in the 2019 Sri Lankan Women's Wellbeing Survey were analyzed. Two binary outcomes were considered: married women's mental health and their suicidal ideation. Binary logistic regression models were used to assess the association between mental health and suicidal thoughts in relation to IPV while controlling for socio-demographic factors.

RESULTS

The results revealed that married women who experienced any form of violence by their spouse had a higher risk of having poor mental health conditions [AOR = 2.88 (2.20, 3.78)] and suicidal thoughts [AOR = 5.84 (4.10, 8.32)] compared to those who did not experience IPV.

CONCLUSIONS

IPV is a substantial contributor to poor mental health and suicidal thoughts among Sri Lankan married women. There is an urgent need for policy interventions, such as community awareness programs, counseling services and enhanced legal protections for victims.

Gender-based violence and its health risks on women in Yaoundé, Cameroon

INTRODUCTION

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a major public health problem that disproportionately affects women. In Cameroon, as well as other countries worldwide, GBV has immediate effects on women's health, with one in three women experiencing physical or sexual violence from an intimate partner, affecting their physical and reproductive health. The objective of this study was to determine the health risks associated with GBV among women in Yaoundé.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted in Yaoundé (Cameroon), from August to October 2022. Adverse health outcome included mental disorders, physical trauma, gynaecological trauma, behavioral disorders, and any other disorder. Tests of associations were used to establish relationships between qualitative variables. Associations were further quantified using crude odds ratio (OR) for univariate analysis and adjusted odds ratio (aOR) for multivariate analysis with 95% confidence interval (CI). Independent variables included: Physical violence, Sexual violence, Economic violence, Emotional violence, Age, Number of children, and Marital status. Variables with p-value˂0.05 were considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

A total of 404 women aged 17 to 67 years were interviewed. Emotional violence was the most commonly reported violence (78.8%), followed by economic violence (56.9%), physical violence (45.8%) and sexual violence (33.7%). The main reasons for violence were jealousy (25.7%), insolence (19.3%) and the refusal to have sexual intercourse (16.3%). The prevalences of adverse health outcomes were physical trauma (90.9%), followed by mental disorders (70,5%), gynaecological trauma (38.4%), behavioral disorders (29.7%), and other (5.5%). Most victims reported at least one of the above-mentioned conditions (80.2%). Women who were victims of any kind of violence had a higher likelihood of experiencing adverse health outcomes: physical violence [OR = 34.9, CI(10.8-112.9), p < 0.001]; sexual violence [OR = 1.5, CI(0.9-2.7), p = 0.11]; economic violence [OR = 2.4, CI(1.4-3.9), p = 0.001]; and emotional violence [OR = 2.9, CI(1.7-4.9), p < 0.001]. Using multiple binary logistic regression, only physical violence [aOR = 15.4, CI(6.7-22.5), p = 0.001] remained highly associated with an increased likelihood of having adverse health outcomes.

CONCLUSION

This study underscores the urgent need for comprehensive interventions to address GBV, including improved reporting and documentation of cases, increased awareness among healthcare providers, the establishment of support networks for victims, primary and secondary prevention of GBV. It is essential that the Government of Cameroon, through the Ministries in charge of Health and Women's Empowerment, minimizes the health effects of GBV through early identification, monitoring, and treatment of GBV survivors by providing them with high-quality health care services.

Lived experiences of intimate partner violence survivors during pregnancy and who had spontaneous abortions: A phenomenological study to inform survivor-centered strategies

BACKGROUND

Previous studies quantified that women who experienced intimate partner violence (IPV) had a higher risk of spontaneous abortion than women who did not experience IPV. However, there is limited evidence documenting the experiences of women in Northern Ethiopia who have been subjected to partner violence and who had spontaneous abortions. This evidence is critical for policymakers looking to improve women's access to maternity care.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of IPV survivors during pregnancy who had spontaneous abortions in Northern Ethiopia.

DESIGN

A phenomenological qualitative study design was used to explore the lived experiences of survivors of IPV who had spontaneous abortions.

METHODS

A total of 16 interviews were conducted between April 23 and June 5, 2020. Eight in-depth interviews and eight key informant interviews were conducted with eligible mothers who received the required service, Adigrat General Hospital service providers, zonal women's affairs experts, and legal professionals. The purposive sampling technique was used to select study participants, and the sample size was determined using the information saturation principle. The data were analyzed through open coding and thematic content analysis.

RESULT

The themes that emerged in this study included opinions toward IPV, mothers' and experts' experiences of partner support during pregnancy, attitudes toward IPV, and understanding of spontaneous abortion. Physical, emotional, sexual, and economic pressure were identified as the most common forms of IPV. Participants in the study believed that physical violence and stress were associated with spontaneous abortion. They also mentioned various strategies for preventing IPV, such as providing job opportunities for women, punishing perpetrators, and encouraging mutual tolerance.

CONCLUSION

This study found that spontaneous abortion is linked to any type of IPV, including physical IPV during pregnancy. IPV is a community-supported event that necessitates strategies and legal frameworks to prevent and mitigate its effects.

Intimate Partner Violence and Mental Health: Deepening Our Understanding of Associations, Pathways, and Prevention in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Mental health disorders and related symptoms are among the top leading causes of disability adjusted life years (DALYs) among youth (10-24 years) and adults (25-49 years) [...].