Environmental Stressors and Intimate Partner Violence in Urban Tanzania: A Thematic and Visual Analysis from Dar es Salaam

Mshigeni, Deo; Mshigeni, Salome Kapella

doi:10.3390/ijerph23020204

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Environmental Stressors and Intimate Partner Violence in Urban Tanzania: A Thematic and Visual Analysis from Dar es Salaam

by

Deo Mshigeni

¹ and

Salome Kapella Mshigeni

^2,*

¹

Division of Family & Culture, College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, California Baptist University, Riverside, CA 92504, USA

²

Department of Health Science and Human Ecology, College of Natural Sciences, California State University, San Bernardino, CA 92407, USA

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2026, 23(2), 204; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph23020204

Submission received: 1 October 2025 / Revised: 29 January 2026 / Accepted: 31 January 2026 / Published: 5 February 2026

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Role of Social Determinants in Health of Vulnerable Groups)

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Abstract

Background: This study explores the interplay between environmental stressors and intimate partner violence (IPV) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Methods: Drawing on participants’ interviews, visual ethnography, thematic analysis, and a review of secondary sources, the research examines how resource scarcity, displacement, and climate change intersect with social determinants of health to intensify IPV. Results: Using an ecological systems perspective, the study demonstrates how structural vulnerabilities and environmental degradation disproportionately affect residents of informal urban settlements, particularly women, who face intersecting vulnerabilities due to poverty, inadequate services, and gender-based discrimination. Conclusions: The findings from this study underscore the need to integrate gender-sensitive urban planning and policy that address both environmental risks and existing social inequalities, thereby enhancing household and community resilience.

Keywords: health disparities; discrimination; health; gender inequality; determinants

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MDPI and ACS Style

Mshigeni, D.; Mshigeni, S.K. Environmental Stressors and Intimate Partner Violence in Urban Tanzania: A Thematic and Visual Analysis from Dar es Salaam. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2026, 23, 204. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph23020204

AMA Style

Mshigeni D, Mshigeni SK. Environmental Stressors and Intimate Partner Violence in Urban Tanzania: A Thematic and Visual Analysis from Dar es Salaam. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2026; 23(2):204. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph23020204

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mshigeni, Deo, and Salome Kapella Mshigeni. 2026. "Environmental Stressors and Intimate Partner Violence in Urban Tanzania: A Thematic and Visual Analysis from Dar es Salaam" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 23, no. 2: 204. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph23020204

APA Style

Mshigeni, D., & Mshigeni, S. K. (2026). Environmental Stressors and Intimate Partner Violence in Urban Tanzania: A Thematic and Visual Analysis from Dar es Salaam. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 23(2), 204. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph23020204

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Environmental Stressors and Intimate Partner Violence in Urban Tanzania: A Thematic and Visual Analysis from Dar es Salaam

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