Figure 1 - available via license: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
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The syndemic and the underlying factors influencing specific parenting outcomes (HIV-Mental Health, HIV-IPV-Mental Health, IPV-Mental Health syndemic from left to right). IPV, intimate partner violence.
Source publication
Background
In South Africa, women disproportionately bear the burden of intimate partner violence (IPV), HIV or AIDS, and poor mental health.
Objective
This study investigated parenting practices among women affected by IPV, HIV and poor mental health syndemics.
Study setting
The study was conducted in two sites, a peri-urban area and a rural are...
Context in source publication
Context 1
... four themes generated included mothers being separated from their children due to adverse circumstances, strained relationships with the fathers of their children, parental experiences of childhood trauma, including neglect, physical and sexual abuse, and significant socioeconomic challenges that hindered their capacity to meet the basic needs of their children. Figure 1 provides a graphic representation of the findings. ...
Citations
... 82 Additionally, a number of studies suggest that adolescent mothers experience significantly higher rates of depression, both prenatally and postpartum, than adult mothers and their nonpregnant peers. 83 Some evidence indicates a heightened risk of psychiatric vulnerability among mothers living with HIV, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, 84 and LGBTQ-parent families are at higher risk of discrimination and societal stigma that can exacerbate their stress and mental health challenges. 85 Parents of children with a disability -particularly mothers -have been shown to report poorer mental health than mothers of typically developing children. ...
Common mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, and trauma-related conditions, are extremely prevalent globally, with especially poor access to care and treatment in the Global South. In an earlier evidence review, the Prevention Collaborative described how common mental health problems can increase the risk of both perpetrating and experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) and why efforts to alleviate common mental health problems can be an effective IPV prevention strategy. This complementary review synthesises how common mental health problems among parents and caregivers can influence their risk of perpetrating child maltreatment, which includes violent punishment; physical, sexual, and emotional violence; and the neglect of infants, children, and adolescents. While there is a wealth of evidence on the mental health consequences of experiencing abuse in childhood, less attention has been paid to how strengthening parents' and caregivers' mental health can help prevent child maltreatment. This review also considers the intersections of IPV and child maltreatment, including how mothers' use of violence against their children needs to be understood within the context of their experiences of IPV. Where possible, the review disaggregates the impacts of poor mental health among female versus male caregivers. This review also considers how evidence-based strategies to prevent violence against children (VAC), including child maltreatment, can improve the mental health of parents and caregivers, and offers recommendations to leverage such impacts.