Peninnah Kako
Biographic Data
| ID | 376389 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Peninnah Kako |
| GIVEN NAMES | Peninnah |
| FAMILY NAME | Kako |
| SIGNATURE | KAKO P |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-1071-5785 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 22 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 6 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 22 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2011 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Lethality Risk in Abusive Intimate Relationships Among Urban Black Women in Wisconsin During the Covid-19 Pandemic
BACKGROUND: Intimate partner homicide is one of the leading causes of death for women, disproportionately affecting Black women. PURPOSE: To investigate the severity of lethality risk and its relationship with individual characteristics, experiences of discrimination, and mental health among urban Black women in Wisconsin since the start of COVID-19. METHODS: This analysis was part of a larger mixed-methods study. Women were recruited from commun…
“You wish that you had been beaten…”: Women’s experiences of spousal emotional abuse in Jordan: Risk factors and consequences
Intimate partner violence (IPV), specifically spousal emotional abuse, is an international concern in diverse settings and populations. However, knowledge gaps regarding the lived experiences of Arab women remain. To contribute to furthering the global understanding of IPV, we examined Jordanian women's experiences through structured interviews. Thirty women who experienced moderate-to-severe levels of emotional abuse were interviewed to share th…
Exploring Socioeconomic Factors Among Women Living with HIV in Malawi and Kenya
This study contributes valuable insights into the unique and shared socioeconomic challenges faced by women living with HIV in Malawi and Kenya. It underscores the need for holistic, targeted public health strategies to enhance health outcomes, education, and economic stability for women living with HIV in resource limited areas. The findings advocate for collaborative efforts among policymakers, healthcare providers, and development practitioner…
Mental health of urban Black women experiencing intimate partner violence since the start of the Covid‐19 pandemic
Black women are disproportionally impacted by intimate partner violence (IPV), which influences women's mental health. The COVID‐19 pandemic caused significant mental health strain on women experiencing IPV while also affecting their ability to seek mental health services. This study was conducted to qualitatively investigate the impact of IPV on urban Black women's mental health since the start of the COVID‐19 pandemic. This analysis is part of …
The triality of roles for the trilingual researcher: Processes from a community-engaged qualitative cross-language health study
There are numerous ethical and procedural challenges when conducting cross-language research, and there is a need to discuss the role of multilingual researchers, as much of the existing literature focuses on working with third-party interpreters or translators. In this article, we expand the recommendations for cross-language research for multilingual researchers and health studies, through an examination of literature and processes from a Commu…
Experiences of gender-based violence among Somali refugee women: A socio-ecological model approach
Gender-based violence (GBV) is an all-encompassing term that speaks to acts or threats that may lead to physical, sexual or emotional harm to an individual based on their gender. This paper provides a scoping review of research on gender-based violence among Somali refugee women in different parts of the world. Using the socio-ecological model as a framework, we reviewed 30 empirical studies focusing on some form of GBV among Somali refugee women…
A protocol for the safe recruitment of Indigenous and Black women experiencing intimate partner violence during the Covid-19 pandemic into a large mixed methods study: The Sisters by Choice Study
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a complex and pervasive public health problem disproportionately affecting Indigenous and Black women. During the COVID-19 pandemic, IPV became more complicated for advocates because social distancing, quarantine, and isolation measures further endangered women experiencing IPV. This manuscript is based on an ongoing community-engaged study in an upper Midwestern state. Our primary goal for this study is to gene…
Experiences of dehumanizing: Examining secondary victimization within the nurse-patient relationship among African American women survivors of sexual assault in the Upper Midwest
A qualitative assessment of gender roles in child nutrition in Central Malawi
Traditional gender roles remain prevalent in the sampled communities. Women continue to be primarily responsible for the food, care, and health of the household. Women's heavy workloads prevent them from providing optimal care and nutrition for children. While efforts to advance gender equality by encouraging men to participate in child care and other household responsibilities appear to have had marginal success, the extent to which these effort…
Barriers Faced by American Indian Women in Urban Wisconsin in Seeking Help Following an Experience of Intimate Partner Violence
American Indian 1 (AI) women experience high rates of intimate partner violence (IPV) and face many barriers when help-seeking. This study aims to understand better the context of IPV and help-seeking behaviors for urban AI women after experiences with IPV. Postcolonial and Indigenous feminist frameworks framed this critical ethnography study. Semistructured interviews with 34 AI IPV survivors 2 living in Wisconsin urban areas were conducted. Our…
Centering Our Voices: Experiences of Violence Among Homeless African American Women
Women experiencing homelessness who are also survivors of violence require uniquely tailored programs to accommodate complex needs. To understand how violence shaped the lives of formerly homeless African American women, an instrumental case study design and community-based participatory research approach was utilized in this qualitative study. Focus group interviews with graduates ( N = 40) from a long-term transitional housing program were cond…
The changing dynamics of community care and support in rural Malawi: The impact on Women's health and wellbeing at end of life
The association of HIV status with rural-urban differences in wealth in Malawi: 2004–2015/16
This retrospective cross-sectional study examined the association of HIV status with wealth in Malawi using the 2004, 2010, and 2015/16 Malawi Demographic and Health Survey (MDHS) data. A harmonized wealth index was generated using factor analysis of the pooled data. Bivariate and multivariate linear regression models were estimated to examine the association of HIV status with wealth stratified by urban and rural communities in Malawi. The sampl…
A black dog enters the home: Hunger and malnutrition in Malawi
Hunger and inadequate nutrition are ongoing concerns in rural Malawi and are exemplified in traditional proverbs. Traditional proverbs and common expressions offer insight into commonly held truths across societies throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Strong oral traditions allow community beliefs embodied in proverbs to be passed down from generation to generation. In our qualitative study, we conducted 8 individual and 12 focus group interviews with …
The built environment and perceived HIV risk among young women living in the peri-urban slum of Kibra, Nairobi, Kenya
Women's work at end of life: The intersecting gendered vulnerabilities of patients and caregivers in rural Malawi
Gender inequality in the form of gender-based violence manifests throughout the course of women's lives but has a particularly unique impact at end of life. We sampled 26 patients and 14 caregivers for this qualitative critical ethnographic study. The study purpose was to describe the lived experience of female palliative care patients in rural Malawi and their caregivers. The specific aims were to (i) analyse physical, spiritual and mental healt…
Navigating complex realities: Barriers to health care access for undocumented African immigrant women in the United States
Undocumented immigrants encounter a myriad of complex barriers to health care access, negatively impacting their health outcomes. In this qualitative study we aimed to understand the barriers to health care for undocumented African immigrant women in the United States as well as how women navigate these barriers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 undocumented African immigrant women. Our findings indicate that undocumented African…
Advocating for HIV Prevention and Care: A Critical Role for Older Women Living With HIV in Rural Kenya
The number of older women living with HIV in Kenya is increasing. However, there are little empirical data available about their role in HIV prevention. The purpose of this study was to understand the nuanced role of older women in HIV prevention. We engaged 54 HIV-positive women in three narrative-eliciting interviews between 2009 and 2010 over a period of 6 months to understand their role in HIV prevention. In this article, we focus on a sample…
Marriage as a risk factor for HIV: Learning from the experiences of HIV-infected women in Malawi
The gender inequalities that characterise intimate partner relationships in Malawi, a country with one of the highest HIV prevalence rates in the world, arguably place marriage as an important risk factor for HIV infection among women, yet few studies detail the complex interactions of marriage and risk. In order to develop HIV-prevention interventions that have lasting impacts in such communities, we need a deeper understanding of the intricacie…
The Innovative and Collective Capacity of Low-Income East African Women in the Era of HIV/Aids: Contesting Western Notions of African Women
Historically, African women have been viewed through a colonizing and Eurocentric lens emphasizing poverty, oppression, and suffering. A postcolonial, feminist approach to our two qualitative studies with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected women in Malawi and Kenya led us to depart from this discourse, highlighting women's capacity. Through this article, not only is a forum created for African women's voices to be heard as subaltern know…
Safety Planning in Focus Groups of Malawian Women Living With HIV: Helping Each Other Deal With Violence and Abuse
In this critical ethnography, 72 HIV-infected women in Southern Malawi participated in 12 focus groups discussing the impact of HIV and violence. Our analysis, informed by a postcolonial feminist perspective, revealed women's capacity to collectively engage in safety planning. We present our findings about women's experiences based on narratives detailing how women collectively strategized safety planning efforts to mitigate the impact of violenc…
Where Will This Illness Take Me? Reactions to HIV Diagnosis From Women Living With HIV in Kenya
The purpose of our study was to develop an in-depth understanding of the reactions of 40 urban and rural HIV-infected Kenyan women to HIV diagnosis. We employed narrative inquiry principles to guide this qualitative cross-sectional study. We conducted individual in-depth interviews using open-ended questions in April and May 2006. In this article we focus on women's reactions to HIV diagnosis, under which four subthemes emerged: immediate intense…
Experiences of dehumanizing: Examining secondary victimization within the nurse-patient relationship among African American women survivors of sexual assault in the Upper Midwest
Barriers Faced by American Indian Women in Urban Wisconsin in Seeking Help Following an Experience of Intimate Partner Violence
American Indian 1 (AI) women experience high rates of intimate partner violence (IPV) and face many barriers when help-seeking. This study aims to understand better the context of IPV and help-seeking behaviors for urban AI women after experiences with IPV. Postcolonial and Indigenous feminist frameworks framed this critical ethnography study. Semistructured interviews with 34 AI IPV survivors 2 living in Wisconsin urban areas were conducted. Our…
Safety Planning in Focus Groups of Malawian Women Living With HIV: Helping Each Other Deal With Violence and Abuse
In this critical ethnography, 72 HIV-infected women in Southern Malawi participated in 12 focus groups discussing the impact of HIV and violence. Our analysis, informed by a postcolonial feminist perspective, revealed women's capacity to collectively engage in safety planning. We present our findings about women's experiences based on narratives detailing how women collectively strategized safety planning efforts to mitigate the impact of violenc…
Where Will This Illness Take Me? Reactions to HIV Diagnosis From Women Living With HIV in Kenya
The purpose of our study was to develop an in-depth understanding of the reactions of 40 urban and rural HIV-infected Kenyan women to HIV diagnosis. We employed narrative inquiry principles to guide this qualitative cross-sectional study. We conducted individual in-depth interviews using open-ended questions in April and May 2006. In this article we focus on women's reactions to HIV diagnosis, under which four subthemes emerged: immediate intense…
Marriage as a risk factor for HIV: Learning from the experiences of HIV-infected women in Malawi
The gender inequalities that characterise intimate partner relationships in Malawi, a country with one of the highest HIV prevalence rates in the world, arguably place marriage as an important risk factor for HIV infection among women, yet few studies detail the complex interactions of marriage and risk. In order to develop HIV-prevention interventions that have lasting impacts in such communities, we need a deeper understanding of the intricacie…
The Innovative and Collective Capacity of Low-Income East African Women in the Era of HIV/Aids: Contesting Western Notions of African Women
Historically, African women have been viewed through a colonizing and Eurocentric lens emphasizing poverty, oppression, and suffering. A postcolonial, feminist approach to our two qualitative studies with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected women in Malawi and Kenya led us to depart from this discourse, highlighting women's capacity. Through this article, not only is a forum created for African women's voices to be heard as subaltern know…
Safety Planning in Focus Groups of Malawian Women Living With HIV: Helping Each Other Deal With Violence and Abuse
In this critical ethnography, 72 HIV-infected women in Southern Malawi participated in 12 focus groups discussing the impact of HIV and violence. Our analysis, informed by a postcolonial feminist perspective, revealed women's capacity to collectively engage in safety planning. We present our findings about women's experiences based on narratives detailing how women collectively strategized safety planning efforts to mitigate the impact of violenc…
Advocating for HIV Prevention and Care: A Critical Role for Older Women Living With HIV in Rural Kenya
The number of older women living with HIV in Kenya is increasing. However, there are little empirical data available about their role in HIV prevention. The purpose of this study was to understand the nuanced role of older women in HIV prevention. We engaged 54 HIV-positive women in three narrative-eliciting interviews between 2009 and 2010 over a period of 6 months to understand their role in HIV prevention. In this article, we focus on a sample…
Navigating complex realities: Barriers to health care access for undocumented African immigrant women in the United States
Undocumented immigrants encounter a myriad of complex barriers to health care access, negatively impacting their health outcomes. In this qualitative study we aimed to understand the barriers to health care for undocumented African immigrant women in the United States as well as how women navigate these barriers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 undocumented African immigrant women. Our findings indicate that undocumented African…
Women's work at end of life: The intersecting gendered vulnerabilities of patients and caregivers in rural Malawi
Gender inequality in the form of gender-based violence manifests throughout the course of women's lives but has a particularly unique impact at end of life. We sampled 26 patients and 14 caregivers for this qualitative critical ethnographic study. The study purpose was to describe the lived experience of female palliative care patients in rural Malawi and their caregivers. The specific aims were to (i) analyse physical, spiritual and mental healt…
The association of HIV status with rural-urban differences in wealth in Malawi: 2004–2015/16
This retrospective cross-sectional study examined the association of HIV status with wealth in Malawi using the 2004, 2010, and 2015/16 Malawi Demographic and Health Survey (MDHS) data. A harmonized wealth index was generated using factor analysis of the pooled data. Bivariate and multivariate linear regression models were estimated to examine the association of HIV status with wealth stratified by urban and rural communities in Malawi. The sampl…
A black dog enters the home: Hunger and malnutrition in Malawi
Hunger and inadequate nutrition are ongoing concerns in rural Malawi and are exemplified in traditional proverbs. Traditional proverbs and common expressions offer insight into commonly held truths across societies throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Strong oral traditions allow community beliefs embodied in proverbs to be passed down from generation to generation. In our qualitative study, we conducted 8 individual and 12 focus group interviews with …
The built environment and perceived HIV risk among young women living in the peri-urban slum of Kibra, Nairobi, Kenya
A qualitative assessment of gender roles in child nutrition in Central Malawi
Traditional gender roles remain prevalent in the sampled communities. Women continue to be primarily responsible for the food, care, and health of the household. Women's heavy workloads prevent them from providing optimal care and nutrition for children. While efforts to advance gender equality by encouraging men to participate in child care and other household responsibilities appear to have had marginal success, the extent to which these effort…
Barriers Faced by American Indian Women in Urban Wisconsin in Seeking Help Following an Experience of Intimate Partner Violence
American Indian 1 (AI) women experience high rates of intimate partner violence (IPV) and face many barriers when help-seeking. This study aims to understand better the context of IPV and help-seeking behaviors for urban AI women after experiences with IPV. Postcolonial and Indigenous feminist frameworks framed this critical ethnography study. Semistructured interviews with 34 AI IPV survivors 2 living in Wisconsin urban areas were conducted. Our…
Centering Our Voices: Experiences of Violence Among Homeless African American Women
Women experiencing homelessness who are also survivors of violence require uniquely tailored programs to accommodate complex needs. To understand how violence shaped the lives of formerly homeless African American women, an instrumental case study design and community-based participatory research approach was utilized in this qualitative study. Focus group interviews with graduates ( N = 40) from a long-term transitional housing program were cond…
The changing dynamics of community care and support in rural Malawi: The impact on Women's health and wellbeing at end of life
A protocol for the safe recruitment of Indigenous and Black women experiencing intimate partner violence during the Covid-19 pandemic into a large mixed methods study: The Sisters by Choice Study
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a complex and pervasive public health problem disproportionately affecting Indigenous and Black women. During the COVID-19 pandemic, IPV became more complicated for advocates because social distancing, quarantine, and isolation measures further endangered women experiencing IPV. This manuscript is based on an ongoing community-engaged study in an upper Midwestern state. Our primary goal for this study is to gene…
Experiences of dehumanizing: Examining secondary victimization within the nurse-patient relationship among African American women survivors of sexual assault in the Upper Midwest
Experiences of gender-based violence among Somali refugee women: A socio-ecological model approach
Gender-based violence (GBV) is an all-encompassing term that speaks to acts or threats that may lead to physical, sexual or emotional harm to an individual based on their gender. This paper provides a scoping review of research on gender-based violence among Somali refugee women in different parts of the world. Using the socio-ecological model as a framework, we reviewed 30 empirical studies focusing on some form of GBV among Somali refugee women…
Mental health of urban Black women experiencing intimate partner violence since the start of the Covid‐19 pandemic
Black women are disproportionally impacted by intimate partner violence (IPV), which influences women's mental health. The COVID‐19 pandemic caused significant mental health strain on women experiencing IPV while also affecting their ability to seek mental health services. This study was conducted to qualitatively investigate the impact of IPV on urban Black women's mental health since the start of the COVID‐19 pandemic. This analysis is part of …
The triality of roles for the trilingual researcher: Processes from a community-engaged qualitative cross-language health study
There are numerous ethical and procedural challenges when conducting cross-language research, and there is a need to discuss the role of multilingual researchers, as much of the existing literature focuses on working with third-party interpreters or translators. In this article, we expand the recommendations for cross-language research for multilingual researchers and health studies, through an examination of literature and processes from a Commu…
Lethality Risk in Abusive Intimate Relationships Among Urban Black Women in Wisconsin During the Covid-19 Pandemic
BACKGROUND: Intimate partner homicide is one of the leading causes of death for women, disproportionately affecting Black women. PURPOSE: To investigate the severity of lethality risk and its relationship with individual characteristics, experiences of discrimination, and mental health among urban Black women in Wisconsin since the start of COVID-19. METHODS: This analysis was part of a larger mixed-methods study. Women were recruited from commun…
“You wish that you had been beaten…”: Women’s experiences of spousal emotional abuse in Jordan: Risk factors and consequences
Intimate partner violence (IPV), specifically spousal emotional abuse, is an international concern in diverse settings and populations. However, knowledge gaps regarding the lived experiences of Arab women remain. To contribute to furthering the global understanding of IPV, we examined Jordanian women's experiences through structured interviews. Thirty women who experienced moderate-to-severe levels of emotional abuse were interviewed to share th…
Exploring Socioeconomic Factors Among Women Living with HIV in Malawi and Kenya
This study contributes valuable insights into the unique and shared socioeconomic challenges faced by women living with HIV in Malawi and Kenya. It underscores the need for holistic, targeted public health strategies to enhance health outcomes, education, and economic stability for women living with HIV in resource limited areas. The findings advocate for collaborative efforts among policymakers, healthcare providers, and development practitioner…
Medicine (18 works) · Sociology (17 works) · Nursing (12 works) · Psychology (12 works) · Environmental health (10 works) · Poison control (10 works) · Suicide prevention (10 works) · Domestic violence (9 works) · Intimate Partner and Family Violence (9 works) · Qualitative research (9 works)