From the battlefield to the bedroom: a multilevel analysis of the links between political conflict and intimate partner violence in Liberia

Abstract

ObjectivesAssess the link between levels of armed conflict and postconflict intimate partner violence (IPV) experienced by women in Liberia.MethodsArmed Conflict Location and Event Data Project data were used to measure conflict-related fatalities in districts in Liberia during the country’s civil war from 1999 to 2003. These data were linked to individual-level data from the 2007 Demographic and Health Survey, including past-year IPV. Multilevel logistic models accounting for the clustering of women within districts evaluated the relationship of conflict fatalities with postconflict past-year IPV. Additional conflict measures, including conflict events and cumulative years of conflict, were assessed.ResultsAfter adjusting for individual-level characteristics correlated with IPV, residence in a conflict fatality-affected district was associated with a 50% increase in risk of IPV (adjusted OR (aOR): 1.55, 95% CI 1.26 to 1.92). Women living in a district that experienced 4–5 cumulative years of conflict were also more likely to experience IPV (aOR 1.88, 95% CI 1.29 to 2.75).ConclusionResiding in a conflict-affected district even 5 years after conflict was associated with postconflict IPV.Policy implicationsRecognising and preventing postconflict IPV violence is important to support long-term recovery in postconflict settings.