Experiences of violence and abuse among internally displaced adolescent girls following a natural disaster
Date
2017
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Publisher
Journal of Advanced Nursing
Abstract
Aim—To describe the physical, psychological and sexual violence among internally displaced
adolescent girls following the 2010 Haiti earthquake and related risk factors, health concerns and
cultural norms.
Background—Thousands of adolescents were displaced following the earthquake, leaving them
vulnerable to abuse and violence. Displaced survivors are disproportionately vulnerable to
violence after natural and man-made disasters.
Design—A descriptive-correlational design was used to: 1) describe the extent of violence, health
risks and concerns in the displaced adolescent girls; and 2) identify correlations in the strength and
magnitude of relationships between selected variables including demographics, risk factors and
cultural tolerance of violence.
Methods—Data were collected from participants using computer-assisted self-interviews
between 2011–2013 including demographics, pre- and post-earthquake violence, perpetrators, risk
factors and health consequences. Analysis included frequency, logistic regression and multiple
regression.
Results/Findings—A majority reported physical, psychological, or sexual abuse both pre (59%)
and post (64.1%) earthquake. Pre-earthquake, abused adolescents reported the perpetrator as a
boyfriend (50%) or family member (30%). Post-earthquake, 20.5% of physical abuse perpetrators
were family members. Pre- and post-earthquake physical and sexual abuse did not change. The
risk of being sexually abused post-earthquake increased after controlling for age and education.
Conclusion—Displaced adolescent girls reported similar rates of physical and sexual abuse preand post-earthquake. These findings show the importance of preventive policies for adolescent
girls in disaster situations in countries with low resources. Social and cultural change is critically
needed since abuse was at an unacceptably high rate prior to the earthquake.
Description
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Keywords
displacement, gender based violence, adolescent girls, nurses/nursing, culturally sensitive research, intimate partner violence and abuse, natural disaster, Haiti
Citation
Sloand, E., Killion, C., Yarandi, H., Sharps, P., Lewis‐O'Connor, A., Hassan, M., ... & Campbell, D. (2017). Experiences of violence and abuse among internally displaced adolescent girls following a natural disaster. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 73(12), 3200-3208.