Joshua Jeong1, Avanti Adhia2, Amiya Bhatia3, Dana Charles McCoy4, Aisha K Yousafzai5. 1. Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts; joshua.jeong@hsph.harvard.edu. 2. Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington. 3. Department of Global Health and Development, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom; and. 4. Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. 5. Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Previous research has demonstrated associations between maternal experience of intimate partner violence (IPV) and a range of adverse outcomes among women and their young children. However, few studies have examined the associations between maternal experience of IPV and early child development (ECD) outcomes in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Our objectives in this study were to examine the association between IPV victimization and ECD and assess whether the association was mediated by maternal and paternal stimulation. METHODS: We combined cross-sectional data from the Demographic and Health Surveys for 15 202 households representing mothers and fathers of children aged 36 to 59 months in 11 LMIC. We used multivariable linear regression models to estimate the association between IPV victimization in the year preceding the survey and ECD, which we measured using the Early Child Development Index. We used path analysis to determine if the association between IPV victimization and ECD was mediated through maternal and paternal stimulation. RESULTS: After adjusting for sociodemographic variables, IPV victimization was negatively associated with ECD (β = -.11; 95% confidence interval = -.15 to -.07). Path analysis indicated that the direct association between IPV victimization and ECD was partially and independently mediated through maternal and paternal stimulation. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions that include components to prevent IPV may be effective for improving ECD in LMIC.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Previous research has demonstrated associations between maternal experience of intimate partner violence (IPV) and a range of adverse outcomes among women and their young children. However, few studies have examined the associations between maternal experience of IPV and early child development (ECD) outcomes in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Our objectives in this study were to examine the association between IPV victimization and ECD and assess whether the association was mediated by maternal and paternal stimulation. METHODS: We combined cross-sectional data from the Demographic and Health Surveys for 15 202 households representing mothers and fathers of children aged 36 to 59 months in 11 LMIC. We used multivariable linear regression models to estimate the association between IPV victimization in the year preceding the survey and ECD, which we measured using the Early Child Development Index. We used path analysis to determine if the association between IPV victimization and ECD was mediated through maternal and paternal stimulation. RESULTS: After adjusting for sociodemographic variables, IPV victimization was negatively associated with ECD (β = -.11; 95% confidence interval = -.15 to -.07). Path analysis indicated that the direct association between IPV victimization and ECD was partially and independently mediated through maternal and paternal stimulation. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions that include components to prevent IPV may be effective for improving ECD in LMIC.
Authors: Whitney Barnett; Sarah L Halligan; Catherine Wedderburn; Rae MacGinty; Nadia Hoffman; Heather J Zar; Dan Stein; Kirsten Donald Journal: BMJ Open Date: 2021-10-28 Impact factor: 3.006
Authors: Natasha Ruth Saunders; Magdalena Janus; Joan Porter; Hong Lu; Ashley Gaskin; Gangamma Kalappa; Astrid Guttmann Journal: Int J Popul Data Sci Date: 2021-02-11