Cumulative Contexts of Vulnerability to Intimate Partner Violence Among Women With Disabilities, Elderly Women, and Immigrant Women: Prevalence, Risk Factors, Explanatory Theories, and Prevention

Abstract

Some groups of women are more vulnerable to intimate partner violence (IPV) due to particular risks and/or experiences: women with disabilities, elderly women, and immigrant women (DEI). Too often, their reality goes unnoticed, especially for those belonging to more than one of these groups. In this literature review, researchers used an intersectional approach to document the similarities and differences in how DEI women experience IPV, in terms of forms and consequences, as well as related risk factors, explanatory theories, and prevention strategies. Researchers selected 56 articles for review based on the following inclusion criteria: studies on adults living in a situation of IPV, studies on one of the three demographics under study (DEI), studies about one or multiple research questions, and studies based on empirical data relying on research methodology in either French or English. Researchers evaluated each selected article for its quality according to a chart that was specially developed for this review. The results highlight existing “intersections” between these groups to help understand the influence of belonging to more than one vulnerability group on these women’s experiences with IPV. The importance to better training social workers and developing policies and programs that target the social determinants of health to prevent IPV experienced by DEI is also discussed.

Rural–urban migration as a factor associated with physical and sexual intimate partner violence Peru 2015–2017: a secondary analysis of a national study

“…In this new scenario, women face barriers to accessing care services for victims of family violence; these barriers include language barriers, ignorance of their rights and of the available services in general, fear of authorities, social isolation, family disintegration and shame [ 34 ]. In the absence of clear regulations aimed at rural–urban migrants, it is difficult for these women to adapt to health coverage systems, and they lack support for accessing new job opportunities, among other difficulties [ 35 ]. These barriers are also intertwined with the rural cultural context from which the women migrated, with values and cultural factors characteristics of collectivism, considering that since their birth, women belonged to a strong and cohesive group, probably an extended family, and when they move to the urban area, far from their family, they face particularly challenging situations, and not having family nearby to rely on, makes them more vulnerable to IPV [ 36 ].…”

A scoping review of measurement of violence against women and disability

“…Intersectionality is an important perspective on violence against women, positing that women are differently situated and therefore experience inequalities–including exposure to violence–differently. Gender, class, disability, ethnic status and age can all intersect and influence women’s experiences of violence [ 7 ], and the current evidence-base does not adequately shed light on these intersections.…”

“…Risk factors for violence against women with disabilities may be the same as risk factors for women without disabilities [ 7 ], yet there also may be specific pathways through which women’s vulnerability to violence is heightened due to disability. Proposed factors explaining heightened vulnerability to violence include social exclusion and isolation, reliance of women with disabilities on partners and/ or carers, and the intersection of disability and lack of economic independence, which can compound issues of reliance on abusers [ 8 – 10 ].…”

Obstetric Violence Is Prevalent in Routine Maternity Care: A Cross-Sectional Study of Obstetric Violence and Its Associated Factors among Pregnant Women in Sri Lanka’s Colombo District

“…These findings are similar to those reported in other countries (see, e.g., [ 29 ]). However, much of the scientific literature on this topic takes a compartmentalized approach to vulnerability and “victimization” [ 47 ], i.e., it reports on obstetric violence experienced by women of low socioeconomic status, women with disabilities, immigrant women, black women, or other women of color [ 48 , 49 , 50 ]. The present study’s findings draw attention to the fact that one woman can experience several of these intersecting exposures or circumstances simultaneously, resulting in complex and cumulative discrimination and “othering.” These particularly vulnerable women’s violence experiences must be better documented and addressed in health provider training and other interventions to ensure more equitable health care systems.…”