scholarly journals Cycles of violence in England and Wales: the contribution of childhood abuse to risk of violence revictimisation in adulthood

BMC Medicine ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadia Butler ◽  
Zara Quigg ◽  
Mark A. Bellis

Abstract Background Interpersonal violence is a leading cause of death and disability globally, has immediate and long-term impacts on individuals’ health and wellbeing, and impacts global health care expenditures and national economies. A public health approach to violence prevention is crucial, and addressing risk factors is a key priority. Global research has demonstrated that childhood adversity increases risk of a range of poor outcomes across the lifecourse. This study examined the association between being a victim of child abuse and the risk of physical assault (PA), intimate partner violence (IPV), and sexual violence (SV) victimisation in adulthood. Methods Data from a nationally representative survey of household residents (adults aged 16 to 59 years; n = 21,845) was analysed. Types of child abuse examined included physical, sexual, and psychological abuse and witnessing domestic violence. Logistic regressions examined the independent relationships between child abuse types, experiencing multiple types, and adulthood violence outcomes. Results Most individual types of child abuse were significantly associated with each adulthood violence outcome, after controlling for sociodemographics and other abuse types. Compared to individuals who experienced no abuse in childhood, those who experienced one form of abuse were over twice as likely to experience PA in the past year and three times as likely to have experienced IPV and/or SV since age 16 years, whilst individuals who experienced multiple types were three, six, and seven times more likely to experience PA, IPV, and SV, respectively. After controlling for sociodemographics and multi-type childhood victimisation, the type or combination of types which remained significant differed by violence outcome; child psychological and physical abuse were significantly associated with IPV; psychological and sexual abuse with SV; and psychological abuse with PA. Conclusions Prevention of child abuse is an important goal, and evidence from the current study suggests such efforts will have a downstream effect on preventing interpersonal violence across the lifecourse. With adulthood victimisation likely to compound the already detrimental effects of childhood abuse, and given that many associated outcomes also represent adversities for the next generation, breaking the cycle of violence should be a public health priority.

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-5
Author(s):  
Alexander Butchart ◽  
Stephanie Burrows ◽  
Berit Kieselbach

Abstract Violence is a major public health problem and in recent years has become increasingly important on the global public health agenda. This article provides an overview of the history and significance of interpersonal violence – including child maltreatment, youth violence, intimate partner violence and elder abuse – in global health and development policy, and illustrates the public health approach to violence prevention.


2018 ◽  
Vol 133 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 65S-79S ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele R. Decker ◽  
Holly C. Wilcox ◽  
Charvonne N. Holliday ◽  
Daniel W. Webster

Violence is a leading source of morbidity and mortality in the United States. In this article, we suggest a public health framework for preventing community violence, intimate partner violence and sexual violence, and suicide as key forms of interpersonal and self-directed violence. These types of violence often co-occur and share common risk and protective factors. The gender, racial/ethnic, and age-related disparities in violence risk can be understood through an intersectionality framework that considers the multiple simultaneous identities of people at risk. Important opportunities for cross-cutting interventions exist, and intervention strategies should be examined for potential effectiveness on multiple forms of violence through rigorous evaluation. Existing evidence-based approaches should be taken to scale for maximum impact. By seeking to influence the policy and normative context of violence as much as individual behavior, public health can work with the education system, criminal justice system, and other sectors to address the public health burden of interpersonal violence and suicide.


Author(s):  
Thomas Simon ◽  
Kimberly Hurvitz

Violence, including child maltreatment, youth violence, intimate partner violence, and sexual violence, is a significant public health problem in the United States. A public health approach can help providers understand the health burden from violence, evaluate evidence for prevention strategies, and learn where to turn for information about planning and implementing prevention strategies for this preventable problem. For the past three decades, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has published “Healthy People” objectives for the next decade. The Healthy People 2020 initiative includes 13 measurable objectives related to violence prevention, one of which was selected as a Healthy People 2020 Leading Health Indicator. Progress to achieve these objectives can save thousands of lives, reduce the suffering of victims and their families, and decrease financial cost to the law enforcement and healthcare systems. The role that nurses can and do play in violence prevention is critical and extends beyond just caring for victims to also include preventing violence before it happens. This article summarizes the violence prevention objectives in Healthy People 2020 and the resources for prevention available to support nurses and others as they move prevention efforts forward in communities to stop violence before it starts.


Author(s):  
Butool Hisam ◽  
Mohammad Nadir Haider ◽  
Ghazala Saleem ◽  
Admin

We are observing with great concern the global spread of the COVID19 Pandemic. What is equally alarming is a less visible, albeit serious Public health issue; one that the United Nations has dubbed as the ‘Shadow Pandemic’ [1]. This is none other than the globally prevalent issue of violence against women, particularly Intimate Partner Violence. Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a serious, possibly preventable public health problem globally. Pakistan ranks among the countries with the highest IPV rates [2]. On 11th March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the highly infectious and lethal Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (COVID-19) to be a pandemic [3]. Drastic measures were enforced universally to curb the spread of COVID-19. Countries issued strict nationwide lockdowns to isolate the population and implemented social distancing. The economy was impacted tremendously, and many people experienced financial and emotional hardship during this mandatory confinement. While everyone was affected, one population was in a far worse situation than others. Survivors of IPV were trapped alongside their perpetrators and faced difficulty/less freedom to escape threatening situations compared to the past. It is not surprising given that historical periods of uncertainty such as war or economic crisis have resulted in increased interpersonal violence, including violence against women [4].  The Hubei province of China, the first region to undergo a lockdown, saw nearly a doubling of their rates of IPV with the start of COVID19 Pandemic.  Similarly, tragic stories gained nationwide coverage in the United States. IPV may also have risen in Pakistan, even if it is not being covered as extensively. During pandemics, fear causes us to minimize our personal needs and make sacrifices we would not normally make. This could be a reasonable approach for most but should not be for survivors of IPV. IPV survivors live in constant fear for themselves and their children; they are now devoid of their only means of mitigation; avoidance. Local woman’s support groups in Pakistan should act and spread awareness about this grim reality hiding underneath the Pandemic. Resources/funding should be made available for survivors to be able to reach out for support without having to leave the watchful eyes of their perpetrators. Public health officials ought to investigate and document the rise in IPV to help identify the leading causes of the increase. These steps will assist in developing crisis-specific guidelines to provide adequate resources for the future. Continuous....


2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (2_suppl) ◽  
pp. 90S-96S ◽  
Author(s):  
Kellie E. Carlyle ◽  
Jeanine P. D. Guidry ◽  
Sharyn A. Dougherty ◽  
Candace W. Burton

Social media platforms like Instagram are often used as venues for discussing relationships, making them ideal channels for promoting healthy relationships and preventing intimate partner violence (IPV). This is particularly relevant for IPV, which has been historically understood as a personal issue and lacked support for consideration as a significant public health issue. To explore a potential platform for IPV prevention, this study examines the ways in which IPV messages on Instagram reflect public health understandings of, and approaches to, prevention and how Instagram users engage with these posts. We analyzed 700 Instagram posts about IPV using the social ecological model as the theoretical framework for conceptualizing framing devices. Posts that mentioned individual causal attribution and individual solution responsibility were both present in the majority of posts and elicited more engagement than posts that did not. Encouragingly, the Instagram sample was more reflective of a range of different types of IPV experiences than previous analyses of traditional media content, possibly indicating that a public health approach to this issue is gaining traction.


2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (12-13) ◽  
pp. 1538-1554
Author(s):  
Terri L. Weaver ◽  
Noel M. Elrod ◽  
Katherine Kelton

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a stigmatizing, interpersonal violation with elements that confer risk for body shame. This study examined the role of body-focused processes (i.e., self-objectification and body surveillance) in the development of body shame within a sample of 61 primarily African American women, exposed to moderate to severe IPV. Severity of sexual coercion, physical assault, and psychological abuse were significantly associated with increased body shame and self-objectification. Mediation analyses revealed that self-objectification was a unique mediator of the relationship between psychological abuse, physical assault, sexual coercion, and body shame. Implications for women’s health care experiences are discussed.


2014 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 436-450 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria D. H. Koeppel ◽  
Leana Bouffard

Research has consistently found rates of intimate partner violence (IPV) in nonheterosexual relationships to be comparable or higher than rates of IPV in heterosexual relationship. Less is understood about the relationship between child abuse, sexual orientation, and IPV victimization. The role of sexual orientation in the relationship between child abuse and IPV victimization is important to consider given research has found higher rates of childhood abuse among nonheterosexual individuals. In addition, the relationship between child abuse victimization and IPV victimization in adulthood has also been documented. This research extends the literature on IPV by comparing child abuse victimization as a predictor for IPV between heterosexual and nonheterosexual IPV victims. Using the National Violence Against Women Survey, this study used logistic regression models to find partial support for the hypothesis that nonheterosexuals who experience child abuse will be more likely to be IPV victims as adults than similarly situated heterosexuals.


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