A mediation analysis of the role of girl child marriage in the relationship between proximity to conflict and past-year intimate partner violence in post-conflict Sri Lanka

Conflict and Health

Jay G. Silverman¹  Lotus McDougal¹  Rebecka Lundgren¹  Anita Raj¹  Ruvani W. Fonseka²  Lianne Urada³  Elizabeth Reed⁴ 

[1] Center on Gender Equity and Health (GEH), University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA;Center on Gender Equity and Health (GEH), University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA;Joint Doctoral Program in Public Health, San Diego State University and University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA;School of Social Work, San José State University, San Jose, CA, USA;Center on Gender Equity and Health (GEH), University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA;School of Social Work, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA;School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA;

关键词: Sri Lanka;    Intimate partner violence;    Post-conflict setting;    Girl child marriage;    South Asia;    Gender-based violence;    Mediation analysis;    Demographic and Health Survey (DHS);   

DOI  :  10.1186/s13031-022-00436-2

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundStudies from many contexts indicate that proximity to conflict is associated with increased likelihood of intimate partner violence (IPV), and girl child marriage is associated with both proximity to conflict and increased IPV. In this study, we consider whether girl child marriage acts as a mediator of the association between proximity to conflict and IPV in the context of Sri Lanka, which sustained long-term conflict until 2009.MethodsWe analyzed responses of currently partnered women between ages 18 and 49 in the 2016 Sri Lankan Demographic and Health Survey (N = 13,691). Using logistic regression analyses, we measured associations between proximity to conflict (residence in districts which were central, proximal, or distal to the regions where the war occurred) and the outcomes of IPV and girl child marriage, and secondarily assessed girl child marriage as a possible mediator of the association between proximity to conflict and past year IPV.ResultsWomen residing in districts central to conflict, as compared to districts distal to conflict, had increased odds of past year sexual, physical, and emotional IPV, with the odds of sexual IPV increasing the most (adjusted odds ratio/aOR 4.19, 95% confidence interval/CI 2.08–8.41). Residing in districts proximal to conflict compared to those distal to conflict was associated with lower odds of past year physical and emotional IPV, with the greatest decrease in emotional IPV (aOR 0.31, CI 0.18–0.54). Girl child marriage was more likely in districts central to conflict as opposed to those distal to conflict (aOR 1.89, CI 1.22–2.93), and partially mediated the relationship between centrality to conflict and IPV.ConclusionsOur findings demonstrate that residing in districts central to conflict compared to those distal to conflict is associated with greater odds of IPV and girl child marriage in post-conflict Sri Lanka, with girl child marriage partially mediating the association between centrality to conflict and IPV. Residence in districts proximal to conflict appears protective against IPV. Future research should investigate what factors are responsible for decreased IPV in districts proximal to violence, and whether these factors can be reproduced to mitigate the increased prevalence of IPV in districts central to conflict.

【 授权许可】

CC BY