Continuous chains: childhood maltreatment and intimate partner violence victimization among displaced women in a war context

TL;DR

This study explores how childhood maltreatment increases the risk of intimate partner violence among displaced women in northern Iraq.

Contribution

The study identifies emotional childhood maltreatment as a significant predictor of intimate partner violence in displaced women.

Findings

Over one-third of displaced women in northern Iraq reported experiencing intimate partner violence in the past year.

Emotional maltreatment in childhood was found to be a significant predictor of intimate partner violence in multivariate analysis.

The study highlights how cultural and contextual factors in refugee camps contribute to intimate partner violence.

Abstract

Childhood victimization has been associated with long-term psychological effects and an increased risk of being victimized in later life. Previous research has primarily focused on sexual abuse during childhood, and a wide range of consequences have been identified. However, a significant gap remains in our understanding of the complex interaction between different forms of childhood abuse and violence in later life, particularly in the context of broader social stressors such as armed conflict and displacement.

This study examines the association between exposure to different types of childhood maltreatment in the context of family and intimate partner violence (IPV) among displaced women living in refugee camps in northern Iraq. Structured interviews were conducted by trained female psychologists with 332 women aged between 20 and 62 years.

Results indicated that over one-third of the participating women reported experiencing at least one occurrence of IPV by their husbands within the past year. In addition, participants reported experiences of different types of maltreatment (physical, emotional, and sexual violence and physical and emotional neglect) perpetrated by family members in their childhood. While all forms of childhood maltreatment showed an association with IPV within the past year, only emotional childhood maltreatment was found to be a significant predictor of IPV in a multivariate analysis.

The study highlights the ongoing impact of child maltreatment and its contribution to increased vulnerability to IPV victimization in later life. In addition, this study describes the specific cultural and contextual elements that contribute to IPV in refugee camps.

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