Love in the Time of War: Identifying Neighborhood-level Predictors of Intimate Partner Violence from a Longitudinal Study in Refugee-hosting Communities

Abstract

A high prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) has been documented among women living in conflict-affected and refugee-hosting areas, but why this occurs is not well understood. Conflict and displacement deteriorate communities’ social cohesion and community connectedness; these neighborhood social environments may influence individual IPV outcomes. We explored neighborhood-level social disorganization and cohesion as predictors of recent IPV in refugee-hosting communities in northern Ecuador by conducting multi-level logistic regression on a longitudinal sample of 1,312 women. Neighborhood social disorganization was marginally positively associated with emotional IPV (AOR: 1.17, 95% CI: .99, 1.38) and physical and/or sexual IPV (AOR: 1.20, 95% CI: .96, 1.51). This was partially mediated by neighborhood-level civic engagement in the case of emotional IPV. At the household level, perceived discrimination and experience of psychosocial stressors were risk factors for both types of IPV, whereas social support was protective. To our knowledge, this is one of the first studies to examine how neighborhood social factors influence IPV outcomes in refugee-hosting communities or in South America. As the world grapples with the largest number of displaced people in history, this research can inform prevention and response programming and reinforces the critical importance of promoting acceptance of refugees and immigrants and positively engaging all community members in civic life in refugee-hosting settings.

Shifting Norms in Faith Communities to Reduce Intimate Partner Violence: Results from a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial in Nigeria

“…Although many community characteristics have been examined in relation to IPV, few have looked at perceptions of community (or social) cohesion outside of high-income country settings and understandings are limited on the potential links or possible benefits of coordinated prevention strategies. Vanderende et al (2012) and Treves-Kagan et al (2022) suggest that higher levels of perceived community problems can reflect disadvantaged environments that are more challenged in promoting health and regulating disorder and can create stressors in which IPV is more likely to occur. This mechanism was hinted by some qualitative informants, but few explicitly articulated these connections.…”

Consortium for violence prevention research, leadership training, and implementation for excellence (CONVERGE): a protocol to train science leaders in gender-based-violence and violence-against-children research for impact

“…Societal or national factors include laws, policies, and systems that privilege cismen, that limit opportunities for women and TGNC persons, and that promote narrow definitions of GBV or VAC, rigid gender norms and norms of masculinity tied to dominance and honor, and acceptance of interpersonal violence (21,42,56,57). Global factors include the internet, which may increase access to education and prevention programs as well as exposure to violent sexually explicit material, cyber-bullying, cyber-stalking, and sexual exploitation (58,59). Other global factors include international displacement, which may elevate the risks of GBV and VAC by weakening community cohesion (60); international treaties and organizations that support the diffusion of anti-GBV and anti-VAC norms and practices (61,62); and economic liberalization, which may elevate organized crime and, in turn, the diffusion of criminal laws against human trafficking in economically interdependent countries (63).…”

“…Global factors include the internet, which may increase access to education and prevention programs as well as exposure to violent sexually explicit material, cyber-bullying, cyber-stalking, and sexual exploitation ( 58 , 59 ). Other global factors include international displacement, which may elevate the risks of GBV and VAC by weakening community cohesion ( 60 ); international treaties and organizations that support the diffusion of anti-GBV and anti-VAC norms and practices ( 61 , 62 ); and economic liberalization, which may elevate organized crime and, in turn, the diffusion of criminal laws against human trafficking in economically interdependent countries ( 63 ). Thus, GBV and VAC share many risk factors across the social ecology ( 42 ), and early integrated interventions targeting shared risks may help to prevent both forms of violence.…”

Design and implementation of an intensive panel survey with refugees and other migrants in need of protection in Costa Rica

“…One cross-sectional study with sub-Saharan migrants in France, for instance, finds that having irregular documentation status is associated with higher odds of forced sex from intimate partners [ 55 ]. Likewise, a cross-sectional survey in Ecuador finds that discrimination and other psychosocial stressors are associated with elevated odds of IPV among Latin American refugees [ 56 ]. Both studies suggest that family conflict and violence may be sensitive to MNPs’ changing stressors, though panel data are needed to fully assess this possibility.…”