Submission ID 131780
| Issue/Objective | Gender-based violence (GBV) is a concern in settings with pervasive gender inequities. Intersections between GBV and infectious disease are established in HIV, and were identified during COVID within homes subject to isolation and/or quarantine. Tuberculosis (TB) is an infection also linked to gender inequity. Treatment and isolation measures may strain gender relations and heighten harms. We mapped evidence on GBV among people affected by TB, to inform pathways for gender-equitable, people-centred care. |
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| Methodology/Approach | We conducted a PRISMA-ScR scoping review following Arksey and O'Malley's framework. PubMed, Embase, Scopus, CINAHL, and PsycINFO were searched for English-language primary studies published between January 2000 and September 2025 using combined GBV and TB search terms. Two reviewers independently screened studies and extracted data. Findings were synthesized narratively using GBV and social-ecological theories; qualitative and quantitative data were thematically and descriptively analyzed, respectively. |
| Results | Nine eligible studies were included for analysis. Studies were from the South-East Asia (n=6), European (n=2), African (n=1), and/or Eastern Mediterranean (n=2) region, applying qualitative (n=6) and/or quantitative (n=4) methods. One study spanned two regions and used mixed methods. Most described more than one form of violence: psychological including emotional abuse (n=8); economic including financial depravation (n=6); physical including assault (n=3); and/or sexual including assault and/or reproductive coercion (n=3). GBV preceded TB diagnosis and occurred throughout TB care (symptom presentation, diagnosis, treatment). Violence was universally perpetrated upon women, by intimate partners, in-laws, family members, and/or community members. Violence was driven by TB-related stigma, fears associated with public disclosure of TB, gender norms restricting women's social position and financial agency, and absence of social and material support within households. The consequences for women were compromised health seeking, treatment non-adherence, mental distress, disruption to family and mother-child relations, financial hardship, reduced marriage prospects, and exclusion from social networks. |
| Discussion/Conclusion | GBV is an under-recognized structural determinant of TB . Integrating survivor-centred GBV screening and response into TB service delivery, alongside mainstay stigma-reduction and gender-responsive interventions, can improve outcomes for vulnerable populations. This review supports CCGH 2026's call to reclaim global health equity through integrated, survivor-centred action. |
| Presenters and Affiliations | Ebenezer Kwesi Armah-Ansah University of waterloo Yvette Nkurunziza York University Pushpita Samina McMaster University, Centre for Health Economics and Policy Analysis (CHEPA) Charity Oga-Omenka University of waterloo Amrita Daftary York University |
