Browsing by Subject "intimate partner violence"

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    Intimate partner violence among adolescent girls and young women in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe and perceived barriers and facilitators to the provision of psychosocial interventions in salons
    (2024) Ndondo, Nonhlanhla; Carney, Tara; Richter, Marlise; van der Westhuizen, Claire
    Background. Women are disproportionately affected by intimate partner violence (IPV), particularly those in low-to-middle-income countries (LMIC). Recent research data suggests that IPV prevalence among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in Zimbabwe is estimated to be 36.5%. Innovative intervention models that leverage gendered spaces to provide IPV support have shown great potential in high income countries, but little is known about these in LMIC settings, including in Zimbabwe. The current qualitative study explored the experiences of IPV among AGYW as well as the feasibility of the use of pre-existing female spaces such as salons to provide psychosocial interventions in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. Methods. Nine AGYW who had experienced IPV participated in virtual and in-person key informant interviews. Two focus groups were conducted with salon and spa workers to explore the potential use of salon-based interventions (n=10). Purposive sampling was used as a recruitment strategy. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Results. The findings indicated that in this study, AGYW participants' experiences of IPV consisted mainly of physical IPV such as being beaten with an object, being slapped, or punched with a fist, followed by psychological and lastly, sexual IPV. The results of the study highlighted the factors that seemed to predispose AGYW participants to IPV such as sociocultural influences, economic disempowerment and partner characteristics and behaviours. AGYW participants also discussed the negative physical and mental health impact of the psychological and sexual abuses they had encountered. Both salon workers and the AGYW interviewed identified peer support facilitated by the positive social capital created in salons, as well as the female centeredness of salons as conducive elements for an acceptable intervention. However, some speculations around confidentiality and accessibility to salons were some of the potential barriers identified for implementing salon based IPV interventions. Conclusion. The findings of this study indicated that there is a need to identify and address IPV, as well as the mental health consequences that AGYW experience due to IPV. While the use of predominantly female spaces, in this case salons, were discussed as feasible spaces to incorporate into IPV support models for AGYW, there were certain barriers which will need to be addressed for this to be considered. In addition, it was clear that the content of such interventions needed to include not only IPV and associated mental health issues, but also include other components such as economic empowerment of AGYW, while also challenging traditional gender norms through salon-based interventions. Furthermore, AGYW alluded to their preference for IPV psychosocial support interventions to be peer-based and female-driven. Salons typically provide these aspects, hence increasing their viability as a choice for community based IPV support.
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    Investigating the prevalence of traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder in a sample of South African women who have experienced intimate partner violence
    (2025) Haniff, Khadija; Schrieff, Leigh; Boonzaier, Floretta
    Intimate partner violence (IPV) is widely recognized as a significant public health concern, resulting in substantial physical and psychological harm, particularly among women. IPV refers to abuse occurring within intimate relationships and is linked to a range of neurological injuries, such as traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), as well as adverse mental health outcomes like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although IPV and its effects have been extensively studied, there remains a gap in research both globally and within South Africa exploring the overlap between IPV, general and IPV-specific TBIs, and PTSD outcomes. Specifically, the literature lacks a thorough understanding of the prevalence of, and mechanisms for IPV-related TBIs, their severity and their link to PTSD. This study employed a cross-sectional, quantitative approach to examine IPV exposure, TBIs (both general and IPV-specific) and PTSD outcomes in a sample of South African women (N = 81) using self-report measures, including a Demographic Questionnaire and Asset Index, Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5, Life Events Checklist for DSM-5, Women Abuse Screening Tool, and Brain Injury Screening Questionnaire. The results demonstrated a high prevalence of IPV within the sample, with physical and emotional abuse being the most frequently co-occurring forms thereof. IPV-related TBIs were also commonly reported. Simple regression analyses indicated that IPV-related TBIs were a significant predictor (p = 0.009) of PTSD outcomes, highlighting the important role of these injuries in psychological distress. However, multiple regression analyses indicated that, collectively, no single variable stood out as the strongest predictor of PTSD outcomes. The findings of this study are largely aligned with existing research regarding the prevalence and effects of IPV. However, there is a clear need for further research to enhance the understanding of the intersection between IPV, TBIs and PTSD. Given the widespread and debilitating nature of IPV, examining its neurological and psychological effects is essential for informing trauma-sensitive interventions, practices, and policies to better support survivors experiencing IPV-related TBIs and associated mental health challenges.
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    Survivors narratives of intimate partner violence in Cape Town, South Africa: A life history approach
    (2019) Chikwira, Rene; Boonzaier, Floretta; van Niekerk, Taryn
    Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a problem that is present and pervasive globally and in South Africa. In the South African context, IPV exists within a larger context of high levels of interpersonal violence and violence against women. Understanding the context in which IPV occurs from the perspective of survivors is important for informing effective intervention and prevention programs to counteract its effects. This study explores the life histories of South African women who have experienced IPV. Framed through the lens of intersectionality, it gauges the broader context within which IPV emerges and is sustained, and explores how experiences of IPV are shaped at the intersection of women’s identity markers of race, class and gender. This study is one of a few studies that have used life history methods with women to explore their life contexts and experiences of IPV. Purposive sampling was used to recruit a sample of 11 women based in a Cape Town women’s shelter for abused women and children. Two semi-structured qualitative life history interviews were conducted with each participant. The interviews were transcribed and analysed through thematic narrative analysis, where four noteworthy narrative themes emerged, namely An unsteady and violent beginning, No place called home: A search for belonging and survival, IPV: The unanticipated cost of love and belonging, and Normalisation of IPV experiences: The effects of withdrawal from support. The findings and their relation to existing literature as well as recommendations for future IPV research are discussed. One of the key findings of the study was that the childhood context of the participants was the first point of identifying intersectional oppression and marginalisation that may have shaped a vulnerability to the women’s later experiences of IPV. Another key finding was recognising the value that women place on love and belonging in the context of a difficult, violent and low socioeconomic childhood background, and how this could have an impact on the vulnerability of women to IPV. The use of a life history approach framed by intersectionality thus demonstrated significant benefits in tracking the contextual experiences of women who have experienced IPV. These benefits are of significance because they made it possible to identify points of intervention and prevention of IPV amongst marginalised South African women.
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    What do we know about preventing school violence? A systematic review of systematic reviews
    (Taylor & Francis, 2017-01-30) Lester, Soraya; Lawrence, Cayleigh; Ward, Catherine L
    Many children across the world are exposed to school violence, which undermines their right to education and adversely affects their development. Studies of interventions for school violence suggest that it can be prevented. However, this evidence base is challenging to navigate. We completed a systematic review of interventions to reduce four types of school violence: (a) peer violence; (b) corporal punishment; (c) student-on-teacher violence and (d) teacher-on-student violence. Reviewers independently searched databases and journals. Included studies were published between 2005 and 2015; in English; considered school-based interventions for children and measured violence as an outcome. Many systematic reviews were found, thus we completed a systematic review of systematic reviews. Only systematic reviews on interventions for intimate partner violence (IPV) and peer aggression were found. These reviews were generally of moderate quality. Research on both types of violence was largely completed in North America. Only a handful of programmes demonstrate promise in preventing IPV. Cognitive behavioral, social-emotional and peer mentoring/mediation programmes showed promise in reducing the levels of perpetration of peer aggression. Further research needs to determine the long-term effects of interventions, potential moderators and mediators of program effects, program effects across different contexts and key intervention components.
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    Women Shelter Residents' Experiences of Intimate Partner Violence: A Digital Storytelling Project
    (2022) Mabaso, Karabo; Boonzaier, Floretta
    Intimate partner violence and more generally gender-based violence (GBV) are worldwide issues that threaten the health of the public and people's rights, and South Africa is no exception. In the context of South Africa, IPV is especially prevalent in contexts of high levels of violence against women, shaped by intersectional factors such as race, class, and culture, and various forms of power that perpetrate and perpetuate inequality and dominance over women. Understanding the contextual factors behind IPV from the viewpoint of women survivors is critical to obtaining a thorough understanding of the various contexts in which it occurs. This is crucial for understanding the identities implicated in violent experiences. The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of South African women in shelters who experienced violence. Using intersectionality theory as a lens, it examined how racial, cultural, and class-related identity markers influence and shape IPV. Participatory action research (PAR) methodologies and digital storytelling (DST) in visual and digital formats were used to explore the narratives and experiences of women exposed to IPV. Purposive sampling was used to recruit a sample of nine women residing at St Anne's Homes, a shelter for abused women and children situated in Cape Town. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with each participant. In addition, a half-day DST training workshop was conducted for the women where they were trained on DST. Thereafter, the women were asked to take images and videos that represented their narratives of violence. The interviews, images, and digital stories were transcribed and analysed through a thematic narrative analysis. Six themes around women's experiences of violence and the support received from the shelter were established. Themes covered: ‘narratives of loneliness and feeling stuck'; ‘narratives of control'; ‘drugs and alcohol: a cause and response to IPV'; ‘consequences of abuse'; ‘narratives of escaping'; and ‘shelter: refuge, empowerment, and independence'. A key contribution of this study was women's narration of the impact of structural inequalities on their experiences. Furthermore, the women constructed a variety of reasons for their experiences of abuse, notably with drug and alcohol abuse among them. Another key finding dealt with the women's identities as mothers and how this was central to their motivation to escape their abusive environments. By using DST to advance a social justice agenda, the method was able to create a space for particular narratives to emerge.