Unraveling the Nexus between Neighborhood Disorder and Intimate Partner Violence Against Women: The Importance of Social Cohesion in Informal Settlements in Kenya

Background and purpose: Research examining the relationship between neighborhood characteristics and intimate partner violence (IPV) has gained increasing attention in recent years, driven by theories such as Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), and including the collective efficacy hypothesis, which aligns with one of the Grand Challenges of Social Work focused on building healthy relationships to end violence under the individual and family wellbeing domain. Evidence suggests the presence of signs of disorder in neighborhoods as potential stressors influencing social factors in the community, such as cohesion and collective efficacy, which shape patterns of interpersonal violence and responses to interventions. However, existing research predominantly explores the impact of neighborhood characteristics on non-partner violence in the Global North, leaving a notable gap in understanding the associations between neighborhood disorder and IPV, particularly in Global South contexts. Emphasizing the pivotal role of neighborhood social cohesion as a potential mediator, this study investigates direct and indirect relationships between neighborhood disorder and IPV in informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya.

Methods: To investigate the relationship between neighborhood disorder and IPV, we utilized a robust research design. Our data was drawn from a longitudinal sample of 800 women residing in two informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya. We employed logistic regression to test our hypothesis regarding direct effects and mediation analysis to explore indirect effects. Neighborhood disorganization was measured using a crime and disorder scale, while neighborhood social cohesion was assessed using a neighborhood collective efficacy scale. IPV was measured using 14 items from the World Health Organization’s Violence Against Women measure (VAW-CORR-5), which captured experiences of recent physical, sexual, and psychological IPV in the past month.

Results: A baseline logistic regression model found no significant direct effect between neighborhood disorder and IPV (corr = 1.06, p = .73). However, findings show a significant indirect effect (a*b = 1.08, p<.05) through neighborhood cohesion, i.e., neighborhood disorder is associated with reductions in social cohesion (a = -.25, p = .00), with social cohesion significantly affecting IPV (bor = 0.71, p = 0.018), increasing the odds of IPV reports.

Conclusion and implications: Findings highlight the need for programs to bring people together and build strong community ties in neighborhoods. This includes spending on improving public spaces and infrastructure. Such efforts may significantly lower incidents of IPV, especially in areas the government has neglected.