Peer-reviewed article
Estimating the global health impact of gender-based violence and violence against children: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol
Cory N Spencer, María José Baeza, Jaidev Kaur Chandan, Alexandra N Debure, Molly E Herbert et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This is a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis that will examine the global health impacts of gender-based violence and violence against children across the lifespan. The review will search major medical databases from 1970 onwards to synthesise evidence on how exposure to violence affects health outcomes and risk factors. Findings will contribute to the Global Burden of Disease Study and a Lancet Commission report on the global response to violence.
Key points
- The review will assess a comprehensive range of violence exposures beyond intimate partner violence alone
- Health outcomes and health-related risk factors will be investigated across the entire life-course
- Evidence will be synthesised using meta-regression with Bayesian methods and burden of proof risk functions
- Study quality will be assessed using six risk of bias criteria
- Variations in associations by age, sex and gender will be explored where data permit
Limitations
This is a protocol document describing planned methodology, not results. It cannot tell us what the actual health impacts of violence are, the strength of evidence for specific outcomes, or which interventions reduce violence-related harms.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Exposure to gender-based violence (GBV) and violence against children (VAC) can result in substantial morbidity and mortality. Previous reviews of health outcomes associated with GBV and VAC have focused on limited definitions of exposure to violence (ie, intimate partner violence) and often investigate associations only with predefined health outcomes. In this protocol, we describe a systematic review and meta-analysis for a comprehensive assessment of the impact of violence exposure on health outcomes and health-related risk factors across the life-course. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Global Index Medicus, Cochrane and Web of Science Core Collection) will be searched from 1 January 1970 to 30 September 2021 and searches updated to the current date prior to final preparation of results. Reviewers will first screen titles and abstracts, and eligible articles will then be full-text screened and accepted should they meet all inclusion criteria. Data will be extracted using a standardised form with fields to capture study characteristics and estimates of association between violence exposure and health outcomes. Individual study quality will be assessed via six risk of bias criteria. For exposure-outcome pairs with sufficient data, evidence will be synthesised via a meta-regression-Bayesian, regularised, trimmed model and confidence in the cumulative evidence assessed via the burden of proof risk function. Where possible, variations in associations by subgroup, that is, age, sex or gender, will be explored. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Formal ethical approval is not required. Findings from this review will be used to inform improved estimation of GBV and VAC within the Global Burden of Disease Study. The review has been undertaken in conjunction with the Lancet Commission on GBV and the Maltreatment of Young People with the aim of providing new data insights for a report on the global response to violence. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42022299831.