Association between intimate partner violence during pregnancy and maternal pregnancy complications among recently delivered women in Bangladesh

Intimate partner violence (IPV), an actual or threatened physical, sexual, or psychological abuse by a current or former partner or spouse, is a common global public health issue. Understanding both the prevalence of IPV during pregnancy and its potential impact on the health of pregnant women is important for the development and implementation of interventions to prevent maternal morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this study was to explore the association between maternal experiences of IPV during pregnancy and pregnancy complications. A health‐facility‐based cross‐sectional study was conducted from July 2015 to April 2016 among 400 randomly selected women who were admitted to the postnatal wards of Rajshahi Medical College Hospital for delivery. Data were collected through face‐to‐face interviews using a structured questionnaire. Multivariable logistic regressions were performed to assess relationships between variables of interest after controlling for potential confounders. Results indicated that 39.0% of women reported physical IPV and 26.3% of women reported sexual IPV during pregnancy. Additionally, 69.5% of women experienced medical complications (MCs); of this group, 44.3% experienced obstetric complications (OCs) and 79.3% experienced any pregnancy complication (AC) during their last pregnancy. The experience of physical IPV during pregnancy was significantly associated with the experience of MCs (adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 2.05, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.15–4.01), OCs (AOR: 4.23, 95% CI: 2.01–7.12) and AC (AOR: 5.26, 95% CI: 2.98–10.52). Women who experienced sexual IPV during pregnancy were also at increased risk of suffering from any MC, any OC, and AC. Maternal experience of IPV during pregnancy is positively associated with pregnancy complications. Preventing IPV directed at pregnant women might reduce maternal morbidity and mortality in Bangladesh.

     

Gender role attitudes,relationship efficacy,and self-disclosure in intimate relationships

Drawing from the intimacy process model and data from 5,042 individuals who remained partnered across Waves 1 and 2 of the German Panel Analysis of Intimate Relationships and Family Dynamics (pairfam), this study examined the contributions of traditional gender role attitudes and relationship efficacy in predicting levels of self-disclosure within an intimate relationship. Independent samples t-tests demonstrated females scored higher than males on self-disclosure and relationship efficacy measures but lower on traditional gender role attitudes. An ordinary least squares regression analysis revealed relationship efficacy was a stronger predictor of self-disclosure compared to traditional gender role attitudes, which were not associated with self-disclosure. The findings suggest attitudes with an interpersonal motivational system may be especially important for setting the intimacy process into motion within an intimate union.     

Pathways to Help-Seeking and Mental Health Service Provision for African Female Survivors of Conflict-Related Sexualized Gender-Based Violence

ABSTRACT

African migration to Canada is a relatively new development. There is a dearth of literature on the mental health of this newer immigrant population, especially those from the conflict zones of Sub-Saharan Africa. Our exploratory study examined the experiences of African female survivors of conflict-related sexualized violence based on the insights of six community mental health professionals. Guided by interpretive inquiry, semi-structured interviews were analyzed thematically and interpreted in light of multicultural feminist and transnational perspectives. Findings highlight refugee women’s resilience in the face of threats of social isolation and stigma. Their prioritization of assistance with practical needs, parenting, community/social supports, and education attainment in the context of counseling raises questions about agency and identity in understanding the relationships between female survivors, what they identify as important to their recovery, and their pathways to accessing mental health services.     

Hybridized Indigenous Healing in the Kyrgyz Republic: Helping Survivors of Violence

ABSTRACT

Harmful consequences of civil unrest in 2010, in the Southern region of the Kyrgyz Republic in Osh, continue to have an impact on communities to the present day. One of the most significant effects has been numerous undiagnosed cases of rape and other types of gender-based violence (GBV) that occurred during the interethnic conflict. The true prevalence rate of GBV cases is still unknown. For example, according to official data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs (2011), there were only seven cases of rape during the conflict; however, crisis center reports documented 322 rapes (Molchanova, 2016 Molchanova, E. (2016). Okazanie psihologicheskoi pomoshci licam, postradavshim ot genderno-gonasiliya vo vremya krizisov i chrezvichainih situacii. Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic: AltynPrint Publishing House.  [Google Scholar]). Cultural norms dictate that women who experience GBV hide their “shame,” which is why only a small percentage of victims with PTSD symptoms resulting from GBV seek out services from professionals, such as from crisis centers, psychologists and psychiatrists, and police. Indigenous healers are often the first and only stop for help-seeking. However, the influences of diverse religious beliefs and practices as well as the development of Western-style helping methods in the Kyrgyz Republic have shaped the practice of traditional healing. This hybridization, which is a process of including religious and even medical practices into traditional healing, started in the middle of the 1990s, and now, the extensive networks of traditional healers in the Kyrgyz Republic often combine traditional rituals with Islamic prayer, herbal treatment, massage, and other techniques. This article explores the hybridization of indigenous healing in the Kyrgyz Republic as a consequence of a variety of social transformations, and, as a result of polymorphism, the complexity and clinical variability of posttraumatic symptoms in Kyrgyz cultural settings.     

青少年亲子关系、消极社会适应和网络成瘾的关系:一个有中介的调节作用

为探讨亲子关系、消极社会适应和网络成瘾的关系,采用问卷法对六个城市共2324名中学生进行研究。结果表明：（1）冲突型青少年网络成瘾倾向得分最高,依恋型青少年网络成瘾倾向得分最低;（2）消极社会适应在亲子依恋和亲子冲突对网络成瘾的预测中均起部分中介作用;（3）消极社会适应的中介作用受到性别的调节。这一研究结果揭示了积极和消极亲子关系对网络成瘾的共同作用机制,为从家庭层面干预和预防青少年网络成瘾状况提供了参考。     

The role of retributive justice and the use of international criminal tribunals in post‐conflict reconciliation

Four experiments examined people's responses to intergroup violence either committed or suffered by their own group. Experiment 1 demonstrated that Serbs who strongly glorified Serbia were more supportive of future violence against, and less willing to reconcile with, Bosniaks after reading about Serbian victimization by Bosniaks rather than Serbian transgressions against Bosniaks. Replicating these effects with Americans in the context of American–Iranian tensions, Experiment 2 further showed that demands for retributive justice explained why high glorifiers showed asymmetrical reactions to ingroup victimization vs. perpetration. Again in the Serb and the American context, respectively, Experiments 3 and 4 demonstrated that post‐conflict international criminal tribunals can help satisfy victim group members' desire for retributive justice, and thereby reduce their support for future violence and increase their willingness to reconcile with the perpetrator group. The role of retributive justice and the use of international criminal justice in intergroup conflict (reduction) are discussed.     

Living under threat: Mutual threat perception drives anti‐Muslim and anti‐Western hostility in the age of terrorism

This research demonstrates a common psychology of outgroup hostility driven by perceived intergroup threat among three groups and seven cultural contexts: non‐Muslim Westerners, Muslims in Western societies, and Muslims in the Middle East. In Study 1, symbolic, but not realistic and terroristic threats, predicted non‐Muslim Norwegians' intentions to join anti‐Islamic movements. In Study 2, symbolic and realistic, but not terroristic threat, predicted non‐Muslim Americans' willingness to persecute Muslims. In Studies 3 and 4, symbolic threat predicted support and behavioral intentions against the West among Swedish and Turkish Muslims. Finally, in Study 5, a comparison demonstrated that symbolic and realistic threats had the same effects on violent intentions among non‐Muslim and Muslim Danes, and Muslims in Afghanistan. Meta‐analysis showed that symbolic threat was most strongly associated with intergroup hostility. Across studies, participants with high religious group identification experienced higher levels of threat. Implications for intergroup research and prejudice reduction are discussed.