Violent Discipline in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo: The Role of Child Gender and Disability Status in Cross-sectional Analysis

This study aimed to understand the use of violent discipline by caregivers in conflict-affected communities and how it varied by the child ’s gender and disability level.MethodsUsing cross-sectional data collected from 394 respondents (196 men and 198 women) in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, logistic generalized estimating equations stratified by gender assessed the association between past-three-month perpetration of violent discipline, caregiver demographics, conflict experiences, and disability attitudes, as well as child demographics of age, gender, disability level, and the interaction of gender and disability.ResultsCompared to women with boy children with no disability, odds of perpetration of violent discipline were higher among those with girl children with no disability (aOR: 2.24; 95%CI: 1.11 –4.51) and boy children with moderate or severe disability (aOR: 2.91; 95%CI: 1.14–7.33), and the interaction of girl children with a moderate or severe disability showed a 7.80 increase in odds of perpetration; however, association with women’s discriminatory disability attitudes was not sign ificant. In contrast, the interaction of child gender and disability level were not significantly associated with perpetration of violent discipline for men, but disability attitudes were significantly associated (aOR: 1.07; 95%CI: 1.00-1.15).DiscussionResults suggest that levels of violence in conflict-affected households in North Kivu, DRC are high, with women report...
Source: Maternal and Child Health Journal - Category: Health Management Source Type: research