Intimate Partner Violence and Child Behavioral Problems in South Africa

Pratibha Chander · Jane Dene Kvalsvig · Claude A. Mellins · Shuaib Kauchali · Stephen M. Arpadi · Myra Taylor +2 more

22 citations0/0 files storedPEDIATRICS

No readable copy stored yet — this record is metadata only.

No open-access location is known for this record yet.

Literature note Cite in a project Citation map

Intimate Partner and Family Violence Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development Child Abuse and Trauma

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Research in high-income countries has repeatedly demonstrated that intimate partner violence (IPV) experienced by women negatively affects the health and behavior of children in their care. However, there is little research on the topic in lower- and middle-income countries. The population-based Asenze Study gathered data on children and their caregivers in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. This data analysis explores the association of caregiver IPV on child behavior outcomes in children <12 years old and is the first such study in Africa. METHODS: This population-based study was set in 5 Zulu tribal areas characterized by poverty, food insecurity, unemployment, and a high HIV prevalence. The Asenze Study interviewed caregivers via validated measures of IPV, alcohol use, caregiver mental health difficulties, and child behavior disorders in their preschool children. RESULTS: Among the 980 caregivers assessed, 37% had experienced IPV from their current partner. Experience of partner violence (any, physical, or sexual) remained strongly associated with overall child behavior problems (odds ratio range: 2.46-3.10) even after age, HIV status, cohabitation with the partner, alcohol use, and posttraumatic stress disorder were accounted for. CONCLUSIONS: Childhood behavioral difficulties are associated with their caregiver's experience of IPV in this population, even after other expected causes of child behavior difficulties are adjusted for. There is a need to investigate the longer-term impact of caregiver partner violence, particularly sexual IPV, on the health and well-being of vulnerable children in lower- and middle-income countries. Studies should also investigate whether preventing IPV reduces the occurrence of childhood behavior difficulties.

Paper brief

Loading…

Cite this work

Citation unavailable for this work.

BibTeX RIS CSL-JSON

No public copy is stored for this record, so only the metadata is cited.

Citations in this library

Citation map →

Stored only when both papers are in the corpus — 22 citations exist upstream.

References

2001Psychometric Properties of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire 2005WHO Multi-country Study on Women's Health and Domestic Violence against Women: Initial Results on Prevalence, Health Outcomes and Women's Responses 2010When to Use Broader Internalising and Externalising Subscales Instead of the Hypothesised Five Subscales on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ): Data from British Parents, Teachers and Children 2003Child witnesses to domestic violence: A meta-analytic review.2008The impact of exposure to domestic violence on children and young people: A review of the literature 2008Exposure to domestic violence: A meta-analysis of child and adolescent outcomes 2003The Effects of Children's Exposure to Domestic Violence: A Meta-Analysis and Critique 2002The epidemiology of rape and sexual coercion in South Africa: an overview

Cited by

2019Associations between young children’s exposure to household violence and behavioural problems: Evidence from a rural Kenyan sample

Explore the map →

Papers that cite the same references — the relational fallback while embeddings are still backfilling.

Imported from OpenAlex (CC0) — nothing here is generated.