Nwabisa Shai
Biographic Data
| ID | 1257731 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Nwabisa Shai |
| GIVEN NAMES | Nwabisa |
| FAMILY NAME | Shai |
| SIGNATURE | SHAI N |
| AFFILIATIONS | South African Medical Research Council |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-4171-9129 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 37 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 29 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 37 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2010 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
A Qualitative Exploration of Women’s Help-Seeking Behavior for Violence Against Women During South Africa’s ‘Hard’ Covid-19 Lockdown
Depressive symptomatology and their correlates among caregivers of children and adolescents living with HIV in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Background Few studies have examined factors linked to depressive symptomatology among caregivers of children and adolescents living with HIV (CALHIV). This study estimated prevalence of depressive symptoms and identified associated factors among caregivers of CALHIV in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.Methods We used baseline data from a cluster-randomised controlled trial of the impact of a cash transfer program and an economic empowerment intervent…
Attempted Femicide
Purpose Women often do not recognize when they experience attempted femicide, so another way of measuring it is needed for research. We examined narrative accounts of femicide attempts, and analysed data to determine whether we could systematically expand the definition of attempted femicide, for the purposes of research. Methods We recruited a non-probability sample of 3742 women into the Fedisa ModikologoStudy. They were 18–45 years and had exp…
Impact of witnessing abuse of their mother and childhood trauma on men's perpetration of intimate partner violence in the cross-sectional UN multi-country study on men and violence in Asia and the Pac…
Trauma exposure and witnessing intimate partner violence (IPV) in childhood are recognised risk factors for IPV. Using the UN Multi-country Study on Men and Violence in Asia and the Pacific dataset, we describe the pathways through which they influence adult IPV perpetration. In nine sites, from six countries, data were collected in a two-stage, randomly-selected household survey, with one man aged 18–49 years interviewed per house. 8379 intervie…
Stepping Stones and Creating Futures Plus
Marginalised young women and men in South Africa experience and perpetrate high rates of intimate partner violence (IPV), shaped by their contexts and life histories. To address this, we co-developed Stepping Stones and Creating Futures Plus (SSCF+) with young women and men living in marginalised communities to reduce IPV, strengthen livelihoods and improve mental health. We assessed the intervention’s feasibility, acceptability and potential imp…
Two decades of tracking femicide in South Africa
The absence of reliable administrative data from many countries means that there is little global surveillance of femicide. We conducted femicide surveillance with four dedicated national retrospective mortuary-based surveys to understand its magnitude among women 14 years and older in South Africa from 1999 to 2020/21, including the first year of COVID-19. The surveys included data from police on the investigation to ascertain who perpetrated th…
South African rape survivors’ expressions of shame, self-blame and internalized-stigma
Post-rape research and support often focuses on external stigma, yet many rape survivors experience appreciable shame, self-blame and internalized-stigma. Despite a growing literature describing the impact of these feelings on survivors' emotional wellbeing, there has been little research on this in South Africa, where an average of 40,000 rape cases are reported annually. To strengthen our understanding of female rape survivors' experiences and …
Reflections on the process, challenges, and lessons learned conducting remote qualitative research on Violence against women during Covid-19 pandemic lockdown in South Africa
Given the methodological and ethical challenges which limited disclosure of VAW remotely, we conclude that telephone interviews used in our study impacted on the quality of study data. Therefore, we do not recommend VAW research to be conducted remotely, unless it is essential and participants are already known to the interviewer and trust has been established
Challenges and opportunities in coproduction
Coproduction is widely recognised as essential to the development of effective and sustainable complex health interventions. Through involving potential end users in the design of interventions, coproduction provides a means of challenging power relations and ensuring the intervention being implemented accurately reflects lived experiences. Yet, how do we ensure that coproduction delivers on this promise? What methods or techniques can we use to …
A latent class analysis of young women’s co-occurring health risks in urban informal settlements in Durban, South Africa
In South Africa, substance use, violence, and HIV risk disproportionately affect young poor Black women. Few studies have explicitly measured the co-occurrence of these health risks or the impact on mental health and wellbeing for this population. To this aim, we use a person-centred approach to explore the clustering of health risks among young Black women from urban informal settlements in Durban, South Africa, enrolled in an intervention trial…
I Carry the Trauma and Can Vividly Remember”
We know from research that pandemics and disease outbreaks expose HCWs to an increased risk of short and long-term psychosocial and occupational impacts. We conducted qualitative research among 44 frontline health care workers (FHCWs) practicing in seven South African hospitals and clinics. FHCWs were interviewed on their experiences of working during the first-wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and its perceived impact on their wellness. In this stud…
Assessing risk factors and health impacts across different forms of exchange sex among young women in informal settlements in South Africa
For women in South Africa, engaging in exchange sex, including transactional sex (TS), or sex work (SW), is associated with several shared poor health outcomes; yet the practices themselves differ in meaningful ways. SW is a form of commodity exchange, while TS is grounded in gendered relationship expectations of male provision and aspects of emotional intimacy. Additionally, exchange sex types could be imagined on a "continuum of instrumentality…
Quantitative evaluation of Zindagii Shoista (Living with Dignity) intervention to prevent violence against women in Tajikistan
BACKGROUND: Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a major problem in Tajikistan, driven by conservative gender norms, the culturally ascribed position of young women, and poverty. OBJECTIVE: We evaluated Zindagii Shoista (Living with Dignity), an intervention developed with the aim of reducing VAWG through a combination of gender norm change, communication skills, and income-generating activities (IGA) over a period of 30 months. METHODS: Th…
Impact of Covid-19 lockdown and link to women and children’s experiences of violence in the home in South Africa
Our finding showing a link between low-socio-economic status and increased risk for domestic violence during the lockdown in South Africa suggests the need for socio-economic interventions to mitigate these risks. Structural and social relief measures need to be strengthened to reduce the loss of jobs and income and to address food insecurity during pandemics. Psychosocial support should be provided to men and women to mitigate the mental health …
Femicide Prevention Strategy Development Process
Despite surveys to measure the magnitude of femicide, civil action to garner public recognition and, government commitment to respond effectively to femicide, South Africa lacked a comprehensive strategy to inform femicide prevention. This essay outlines the process South Africa followed to develop a femicide-specific prevention strategy and argues for an evidence and practice informed approach in a context where femicide prevention is limited. T…
Stepping Stones and Creating Futures Intervention to Prevent Intimate Partner Violence Among Young People
PURPOSE: Young people, not in formal employment or education, face exceedingly high levels of intimate partner violence (IPV). We evaluated whether Stepping Stones and Creating Futures, compared with a wait-list control, can reduce IPV and strengthen livelihoods. METHODS: A cluster randomized controlled trial with 34 clusters in urban informal settlements in eThekwini Municipality, South Africa. Participant inclusion criteria were aged 18-30 year…
New learnings on drivers of men’s physical and/or sexual violence against their female partners, and women’s experiences of this, and the implications for prevention interventions
Background: Understanding the drivers of intimate partner violence (IPV), perpetrated by men and experienced by women, is a critical task for developing effective prevention programmes.Objectives: To provide a comprehensive assessment of the drivers of IPV.Methods: A comprehensive review of the drivers of IPV, at the end of a six-year programme of research through the What Works to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls Global Programme with re…
Did young women in South African informal settlements display increased agency after participating in the Stepping Stones and Creating Futures intervention? A qualitative evaluation
This paper investigates the impact of the Stepping Stones Creating Futures (SSCF) intervention on young women in informal settlements in eThekwini, South Africa. Specifically, whether following participation in the intervention the young women experienced a reduction in intimate partner violence, strengthened agency and shifted gender relations. Where changes occurred, it examines how they occurred, and barriers and enablers to change. SSCF is a …
Differential impact on men in an IPV prevention intervention
Working with men to prevent their perpetration of intimate partner violence and non-partner sexual violence is increasingly recognised as effective. However, in any given context there are a multiplicity of masculinities, each of which has a different association with violence perpetration. There remains lack of clarity about whether such interventions impact all men and masculinities equally. We undertook a post-hoc analysis of men involved in t…
A Local Researcher's Experiences of the Insider-Outsider Position
Examining the researcher's position during the research process is important to enhance the representation of research participants and the local context where knowledge is produced. This article aims to reflect the experiences of a local researchers' insider-outsider position during a qualitative study drawing on ethnographic methods. Familiarity with the research community can be advantageous for an insider researcher position while an outsider…
Are women’s experiences of emotional and economic intimate partner violence associated with HIV-risk behaviour? A cross-sectional analysis of young women in informal settlements in South Africa
Women's experiences of emotional intimate partner violence (IPV) and economic IPV are rarely considered in research on women's HIV-risk. Using cross-sectional data of young women (18-30) in Durban, South Africa, we assessed whether women's experiences of emotional IPV and economic IPV were independently associated with six HIV-risk behaviours. Amongst 680 women enrolled between September 2015 and September 2016, past year emotional IPV (78.1%) an…
Factors associated with young people's attendance at an IPV prevention intervention in informal settlements in South Africa
Understanding factors shaping attendance at behavioural interventions is critical for programmatic planning. Through the Stepping Stones and Creating Futures intervention trial amongst young (18-30) women and men to reduce intimate partner violence and strengthen livelihoods, we prospectively assessed factors associated with intervention attendance. Baseline data were collected between September 2015 and September 2016 among 677 women and 675 men…
Systematically excluded
Unconditional cash transfers have risen in prominence for their potential to improve the health of the world's most marginalised and bring them into a relationship with the state. Typically, challenges to accessing grants are described in terms of technical issues such as access to documents and distance to offices. This paper explores the challenges of 30 young, poor, black South African women in accessing the Child Support Grant (CSG), an uncon…
Pathways between childhood trauma, intimate partner violence, and harsh parenting
BACKGROUND: Although childhood trauma and violence against women are global public health issues, few population-based data from low-income and middle-income countries exist about the links between them. We present data from the UN Multi-country Study on Men and Violence in Asia and the Pacific, exploring the pathways between different forms of childhood trauma and violence against women. METHODS: In this multicountry study, we interviewed multis…
Motivations for participating in a non-interventional gender-based violence survey in a low-income setting in South Africa
We conclude that it is difficult to discern which motive was primary or preceded the other. This is because such motives are not fixed, probably multiple and owing to their fluidity, may shift in people's minds at different times and depending on the nature of the conversation. Moreover, there may be a shift in the weight given to different motives over time
The feminine ideal and transactional sex
Assessing risk factors and health impacts across different forms of exchange sex among young women in informal settlements in South Africa
For women in South Africa, engaging in exchange sex, including transactional sex (TS), or sex work (SW), is associated with several shared poor health outcomes; yet the practices themselves differ in meaningful ways. SW is a form of commodity exchange, while TS is grounded in gendered relationship expectations of male provision and aspects of emotional intimacy. Additionally, exchange sex types could be imagined on a "continuum of instrumentality…
Did young women in South African informal settlements display increased agency after participating in the Stepping Stones and Creating Futures intervention? A qualitative evaluation
This paper investigates the impact of the Stepping Stones Creating Futures (SSCF) intervention on young women in informal settlements in eThekwini, South Africa. Specifically, whether following participation in the intervention the young women experienced a reduction in intimate partner violence, strengthened agency and shifted gender relations. Where changes occurred, it examines how they occurred, and barriers and enablers to change. SSCF is a …
Conceptualisations of fatherhood and socio-contextual dynamics influencing father involvement in informal settlements in Durban, South Africa
Many men living in informal settlements are unemployed and many do not live with their children. Nevertheless, these men can play a critical role in their children’s lives. In this paper, we explore the extent to which fathers in informal settlements manage or aspire to do this. We explore how they appreciate the social and familial role of “the father” and how they seek to translate these ideas into actions. Findings are based on three FGDs and …
A Local Researcher's Experiences of the Insider-Outsider Position
Examining the researcher's position during the research process is important to enhance the representation of research participants and the local context where knowledge is produced. This article aims to reflect the experiences of a local researchers' insider-outsider position during a qualitative study drawing on ethnographic methods. Familiarity with the research community can be advantageous for an insider researcher position while an outsider…
Femicide Prevention Strategy Development Process
Despite surveys to measure the magnitude of femicide, civil action to garner public recognition and, government commitment to respond effectively to femicide, South Africa lacked a comprehensive strategy to inform femicide prevention. This essay outlines the process South Africa followed to develop a femicide-specific prevention strategy and argues for an evidence and practice informed approach in a context where femicide prevention is limited. T…
Differential impact on men in an IPV prevention intervention
Working with men to prevent their perpetration of intimate partner violence and non-partner sexual violence is increasingly recognised as effective. However, in any given context there are a multiplicity of masculinities, each of which has a different association with violence perpetration. There remains lack of clarity about whether such interventions impact all men and masculinities equally. We undertook a post-hoc analysis of men involved in t…
Intimate partner violence, relationship power inequity, and incidence of HIV infection in young women in South Africa
Factors associated with consistent condom use among rural young women in South Africa
Despite high levels of awareness of HIV, condom use, particularly consistent use, is suboptimal among young South African women. This paper aims to investigate the factors associated with both any condom use and consistent use by young rural women. In this study 1204 sexually active female volunteers, aged 15-26 years, were selected using a two-stage procedure in which firstly 70 clusters were selected and thereafter up to 20 women per cluster we…
Masculinities and condom use patterns among young rural South Africa men
The confluence of conservative gender attitudes, perpetration of violence against women and sexual risk taking distinguished inconsistent condom users as the most risky compared to never condom users, and rendered inconsistent use one of the basic negative attributes of dominant masculinities in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. This finding is important for the design of HIV prevention and gender equity interventions and emphasizes the need for a …
Motivations for, and perceptions and experiences of participating in, a cluster randomised controlled trial of a HIV-behavioural intervention in rural South Africa
Empirical research on ethical issues in HIV-prevention and gender-based violence research, critical for honing ethical and safety guidelines, is limited. In this paper we describe South African young people's motivations for participating in randomised controlled trial, the prevalence of negative occurrences, participation regrets and associated factors. This trial partly followed, but also deviated from, the WHO safety guidelines for research on…
Risk factors for unplanned and unwanted teenage pregnancies occurring over two years of follow-up among a cohort of young South African women
BACKGROUND: Although teenage pregnancies in South Africa have declined, the short and longer term health and social consequences are a potential public health concern. This longitudinal study aimed to describe the range of risk and protective factors for incident unwanted and unplanned pregnancies occurring over 2 years of follow-up among a cohort of adolescent women in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. It also investigated the relationship between…
Creating Futures
Comprehending praxis is a critical step in developing interventions that can have a real-world impact on people's lives. In this paper, we reflect on the lessons learned in the development of a curriculum for young people living in informal settlements in eThekwini, who are exposed to numerous vulnerabilities, including HIV-related risks associated with precarious urban livelihoods. Behavioural interventions have not led to commensurate reduction…
Perpetration of physical and sexual abuse and subsequent fathering of pregnancies among a cohort of young South African men
Young men's perpetration of partner violence is an important predictor of subsequently fathering a pregnancy. The explanation may lie with South African hegemonic masculinity, which valorizes control of women and displays of heterosexuality and virility, and compromises women's reproductive choices
Stepping Stones and Creating Futures intervention
These findings are very positive for an exploratory study and indicate that the Creating Futures/Stepping Stones intervention has potential for impact in these difficult areas with young men and women. Further evaluation is needed
Women's experiences leaving abusive relationships
Intimate partner violence is a worldwide problem. South Africa has one of the highest rates of intimate partner violence and therefore requires effective and sustainable approaches to prevention and response. For abused women, the process of leaving an intimate partner is difficult and mired in an abundance of complex factors that influence decision making. This qualitative study explored women's experiences of leaving abusive homes and relations…
The feminine ideal and transactional sex
Pathways between childhood trauma, intimate partner violence, and harsh parenting
BACKGROUND: Although childhood trauma and violence against women are global public health issues, few population-based data from low-income and middle-income countries exist about the links between them. We present data from the UN Multi-country Study on Men and Violence in Asia and the Pacific, exploring the pathways between different forms of childhood trauma and violence against women. METHODS: In this multicountry study, we interviewed multis…
Motivations for participating in a non-interventional gender-based violence survey in a low-income setting in South Africa
We conclude that it is difficult to discern which motive was primary or preceded the other. This is because such motives are not fixed, probably multiple and owing to their fluidity, may shift in people's minds at different times and depending on the nature of the conversation. Moreover, there may be a shift in the weight given to different motives over time
The Stepping Stones and Creating Futures intervention to prevent intimate partner violence and HIV-risk behaviours in Durban, South Africa
NCT03022370 . Registered 13 January 2017, retrospectively registered
Conceptualisations of fatherhood and socio-contextual dynamics influencing father involvement in informal settlements in Durban, South Africa
Many men living in informal settlements are unemployed and many do not live with their children. Nevertheless, these men can play a critical role in their children’s lives. In this paper, we explore the extent to which fathers in informal settlements manage or aspire to do this. We explore how they appreciate the social and familial role of “the father” and how they seek to translate these ideas into actions. Findings are based on three FGDs and …
Systematically excluded
Unconditional cash transfers have risen in prominence for their potential to improve the health of the world's most marginalised and bring them into a relationship with the state. Typically, challenges to accessing grants are described in terms of technical issues such as access to documents and distance to offices. This paper explores the challenges of 30 young, poor, black South African women in accessing the Child Support Grant (CSG), an uncon…
Are women’s experiences of emotional and economic intimate partner violence associated with HIV-risk behaviour? A cross-sectional analysis of young women in informal settlements in South Africa
Women's experiences of emotional intimate partner violence (IPV) and economic IPV are rarely considered in research on women's HIV-risk. Using cross-sectional data of young women (18-30) in Durban, South Africa, we assessed whether women's experiences of emotional IPV and economic IPV were independently associated with six HIV-risk behaviours. Amongst 680 women enrolled between September 2015 and September 2016, past year emotional IPV (78.1%) an…
Factors associated with young people's attendance at an IPV prevention intervention in informal settlements in South Africa
Understanding factors shaping attendance at behavioural interventions is critical for programmatic planning. Through the Stepping Stones and Creating Futures intervention trial amongst young (18-30) women and men to reduce intimate partner violence and strengthen livelihoods, we prospectively assessed factors associated with intervention attendance. Baseline data were collected between September 2015 and September 2016 among 677 women and 675 men…
Stepping Stones and Creating Futures Intervention to Prevent Intimate Partner Violence Among Young People
PURPOSE: Young people, not in formal employment or education, face exceedingly high levels of intimate partner violence (IPV). We evaluated whether Stepping Stones and Creating Futures, compared with a wait-list control, can reduce IPV and strengthen livelihoods. METHODS: A cluster randomized controlled trial with 34 clusters in urban informal settlements in eThekwini Municipality, South Africa. Participant inclusion criteria were aged 18-30 year…
New learnings on drivers of men’s physical and/or sexual violence against their female partners, and women’s experiences of this, and the implications for prevention interventions
Background: Understanding the drivers of intimate partner violence (IPV), perpetrated by men and experienced by women, is a critical task for developing effective prevention programmes.Objectives: To provide a comprehensive assessment of the drivers of IPV.Methods: A comprehensive review of the drivers of IPV, at the end of a six-year programme of research through the What Works to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls Global Programme with re…
Did young women in South African informal settlements display increased agency after participating in the Stepping Stones and Creating Futures intervention? A qualitative evaluation
This paper investigates the impact of the Stepping Stones Creating Futures (SSCF) intervention on young women in informal settlements in eThekwini, South Africa. Specifically, whether following participation in the intervention the young women experienced a reduction in intimate partner violence, strengthened agency and shifted gender relations. Where changes occurred, it examines how they occurred, and barriers and enablers to change. SSCF is a …
Differential impact on men in an IPV prevention intervention
Working with men to prevent their perpetration of intimate partner violence and non-partner sexual violence is increasingly recognised as effective. However, in any given context there are a multiplicity of masculinities, each of which has a different association with violence perpetration. There remains lack of clarity about whether such interventions impact all men and masculinities equally. We undertook a post-hoc analysis of men involved in t…
A Local Researcher's Experiences of the Insider-Outsider Position
Examining the researcher's position during the research process is important to enhance the representation of research participants and the local context where knowledge is produced. This article aims to reflect the experiences of a local researchers' insider-outsider position during a qualitative study drawing on ethnographic methods. Familiarity with the research community can be advantageous for an insider researcher position while an outsider…
Quantitative evaluation of Zindagii Shoista (Living with Dignity) intervention to prevent violence against women in Tajikistan
BACKGROUND: Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a major problem in Tajikistan, driven by conservative gender norms, the culturally ascribed position of young women, and poverty. OBJECTIVE: We evaluated Zindagii Shoista (Living with Dignity), an intervention developed with the aim of reducing VAWG through a combination of gender norm change, communication skills, and income-generating activities (IGA) over a period of 30 months. METHODS: Th…
Impact of Covid-19 lockdown and link to women and children’s experiences of violence in the home in South Africa
Our finding showing a link between low-socio-economic status and increased risk for domestic violence during the lockdown in South Africa suggests the need for socio-economic interventions to mitigate these risks. Structural and social relief measures need to be strengthened to reduce the loss of jobs and income and to address food insecurity during pandemics. Psychosocial support should be provided to men and women to mitigate the mental health …
Femicide Prevention Strategy Development Process
Despite surveys to measure the magnitude of femicide, civil action to garner public recognition and, government commitment to respond effectively to femicide, South Africa lacked a comprehensive strategy to inform femicide prevention. This essay outlines the process South Africa followed to develop a femicide-specific prevention strategy and argues for an evidence and practice informed approach in a context where femicide prevention is limited. T…
Medicine (28 works) · Poison control (23 works) · Domestic violence (22 works) · Intimate Partner and Family Violence (22 works) · Sociology (20 works) · Suicide prevention (20 works) · Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (19 works) · Psychology (19 works) · Environmental health (18 works) · Demography (15 works)