Understanding the complexities of intimate partner violence in Nigeria: exploring the impact on the mother-child relationship, the role of perpetrator's parenting, and the influence of cultural values

Despite growing evidence that intimate partner violence (IPV) negatively affects parenting, most research in this area has focused on Western, individualistic contexts, with limited attention to how these dynamics unfold in non-Western, collectivist societies. As a result, little is known about how IPV shapes the caregiving relationship in settings where cultural norms, family structures, and parenting expectations may differ significantly. This study addressed this gap by examining the relationship between IPV and the quality of the mother–child relationship (MCR) among Nigerian mothers. Drawing on coercive control and ecological frameworks, this dissertation assessed whether IPV types, such as coercive controlling violence (CCV) and situational couple violence (SCV), as well as IPV frequency and severity, were associated with MCR quality. It also tested whether father involvement and cultural beliefs moderated these associations. The sample included 101 mothers recruited from community-based organizations in Nigeria. Participants completed an interviewer-administered questionnaire assessing IPV experiences, father involvement, cultural beliefs, parenting stress, and MCR quality. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted, controlling for parenting stress, child age, child gender, and maternal relationship status. Contrary to expectations, IPV type, frequency, and severity were not significantly associated with MCR quality. Neither father involvement nor cultural beliefs moderated this relationship. However, father involvement and IPV beliefs were associated with poorer MCR quality, and parenting stress was consistently associated with lower MCR quality. The absence of significant associations between IPV and MCR quality may be explained by several intersecting factors, including limited variability in IPV experiences, reliance on maternal self-report, and the uncertain ecological validity of Western-developed measures in the Nigerian context. Additionally, the consistently high MCR scores across the sample suggest that mothers in this high-risk, help-seeking population may engage in protective caregiving strategies to preserve emotional closeness with their children. These patterns collectively underscore the need to move beyond IPV characteristics alone and examine how individual, relational, and sociocultural factors interact to shape parenting outcomes in non-Western, resource-constrained settings.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Human Dvlpmt & Family Studies

Grantor

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2025

Author dc:creator

• Adeniba, Tanitoluwa Demilade

Contributors dc:contributor

• Hardesty, Jennifer L.
• Hardesty, Jennifer L
• Ogolsky, Brian G
• Tu, Kelly M
• Haselschwerdt, Megan L.

• Mother–child Relationship
• Intimate Partner Violence

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2025 Tanitoluwa Adeniba

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129934

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F129934