Effects of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and Attempted Feminicide on Women and Their Children

• In Event: Family Consequences of Intimate Partner Violence

Abstract

Though violence against women is a widespread problem, few studies have assessed its effects. Even less (or none) have identified how those effects vary when only considering attempted feminicide victims. Moreover, most of the evidence comes from more developed countries, where sexism and violence are lower and social protection systems stronger.

The objective of this study was to assess and compare the effects of IPV and attempted intimate feminicide in Peru, a country where 7 out of 10 women have experienced IPV at some point during their lifetime. Propensity score matching was used for a large sample (N=228,535). Different matching techniques produced robust results.

As expected, stress was an important IPV effect, but interestingly it was related to the negative effect observed on healthy diet. IPV also changes the perception and the use of violence. Victims of IPV justify violence against women under certain conditions and approve the need and use violence against their children as part of raising them. Breastfeeding frequency reduction and short term problems (fever, cough and diarrhea) in children of battered women were also detected. Attempted feminicide effects were similar, though stronger on stress markers.

Author

• Wilson Hernandez, Universidad de Lima