Identifying the Impact of Intimate Partner Violence in Humanitarian Settings: Using an Ecological Framework to Review 15 Years of Evidence

Melissa Meinhart, Ilana Seff, Katrina Troy, Samantha McNelly, Luissa Vahedi, Catherine Poulton and Lindsay Stark
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Melissa Meinhart: Brown School of Social Work, Washington University, in St. Louis 1 Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
Ilana Seff: Brown School of Social Work, Washington University, in St. Louis 1 Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
Katrina Troy: Brown School of Social Work, Washington University, in St. Louis 1 Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
Samantha McNelly: Brown School of Social Work, Washington University, in St. Louis 1 Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
Luissa Vahedi: Brown School of Social Work, Washington University, in St. Louis 1 Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
Catherine Poulton: UNICEF, United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017, USA
Lindsay Stark: Brown School of Social Work, Washington University, in St. Louis 1 Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 13, 1-19

Abstract: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a pervasive form of gender-based violence that exacerbates in humanitarian settings. This systematic review examined the myriad IPV impacts and the quality of existing evidence of IPV in humanitarian settings. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) procedures, a total of 51 articles were included from the 3924 screened. We identified the impact of IPV across two levels of the ecological framework: individual and microsystem. Our findings corroborated previous evidence that indicated IPV to be associated with adverse physical and mental health for survivors. Our findings also uniquely synthesized the intergenerational impact of IPV in humanitarian settings. However, findings highlighted a glaring gap in evidence examining the non-health impact of IPV for survivors in humanitarian settings and across levels of the ecological framework. Without enhanced research of women and girls and the violence they experience, humanitarian responses will continue to underachieve, and the needs of women and girls will continue to be relegated as secondary interests. Investment should prioritize addressing the range of both health and non-health impacts of IPV among individuals, families, and communities, as well as consider how the humanitarian environment influences these linkages.

Keywords: intimate partner violence; gender-based violence; humanitarian settings; ecological frameworks; systematic review (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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