Breastfeeding in the setting of violence or abuse

Edited by:
Lina Palmér, PhD and Associate Professor, University of Borås, Sweden
Jenny Ericson, PhD and Associate Professor, Dalarna University, Sweden

Submission Status: Open | Submission Deadline: 31 May 2025

International Breastfeeding Journal is calling for submissions to our Collection on 'Breastfeeding in the setting of violence or abuse.' This Special Collection aims to understand the dynamics of violence and breastfeeding to develop supportive, women-centered care, policies and interventions.

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Meet the Guest Editors

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Lina Palmér, PhD and Associate Professor, University of Borås, Sweden

Lina Palmér is a nurse and a midwife with a PhD in caring science. Lina is an associate professor in caring science at the University of Borås, Sweden. She leads the research group Existential Issues in Caring and Learning Contexts. Her research interest is directed towards existential issues, lived experiences and meanings in relation to caring, health, well-being and recovery, especially in the context of sexual and reproductive health, breastfeeding, intimate partner violence during breastfeeding and between youth people, and care for older people. Lina has a strong interest in developing the research area of existential caring science and the theoretical foundation for existential caring. Lina has developed A Theoretical Model on Caring for Mothers with Initial Breastfeeding Difficulties: The Breastfeeding Story as a Hub for caring Practice and The Existential Breastfeeding Difficulty Scale (ExBreastS) that are used in education and clinical settings. She also develops research methods that will align with this, such as A Lifeworld hermeneutical approach and method, Meaning-oriented thematic analysis grounded in reflective lifeworld research and Qualitative thematic analysis based on descriptive phenomenology.

Jenny Ericson, PhD and Associate Professor, Dalarna University, Sweden

Jenny Ericson is a pediatric and district nurse with a PhD in medical science. Jenny is an associate professor at the Dalarna University, Sweden. She leads several research projects in breastfeeding, neonatal care and autism. Jenny has experience of many research designs such as qualitative studies, register studies, randomized controlled trials and longitudinal cohort studies. Her research interest is directed towards health, well-being, physiological and psychological factors, existential issues, care routines and interventions.

About the Collection

International Breastfeeding Journal is calling for submissions to our Collection on 'Breastfeeding in the setting of violence or abuse.' Global statistics show that nearly one in three women experiences violence or abuse during their lives, often from a current or former intimate partner (IPV), but sometimes from non-partners. According to the World Health Organization, violence and abuse can take many forms—physical, sexual, emotional, economic, material, social, and digital. Women are disproportionately affected, facing greater risks of sexual and repeated violence. These complex, gender-based issues have significant implications for women’s health, human rights, and public health.

The impact of violence and abuse on women’s health and well-being is profound, contributing to physical and mental health problems. Despite this, the intersection of violence and breastfeeding is under-researched. Understanding this link is crucial to fully address how violence affects breastfeeding and broader aspects of women's lives. To grasp the full consequences of violence and abuse in the setting of breastfeeding, it is essential to focus on women's stories and experiences. Research grounded in their narratives provides valuable insights into how violence and abuse impact daily life, health and wellbeing, breastfeeding ability, and childcare. It also informs care, support, and recovery strategies. This Special Collection, therefore, highlights, but is not restricted to women’s perspectives of violence and abuse in the setting of breastfeeding, it extends to the perspectives of healthcare professionals, peer-supporters, and even perpetrators of violence.

This Special Collection aims to understand the dynamics of violence and breastfeeding to develop supportive, women-centered care, policies and interventions. Contributions may include original research, systematic reviews, case studies, theoretical and philosophical insights, commentaries and policy analyses, offering novel insights to inform health care practices and support for breastfeeding in the setting of violence and abuse.

Submission Guidelines

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This Collection welcomes submission of original research articles, systematic reviews, case studies, theoretical and philosophical insights, commentaries and policy analyses. Should you wish to submit a different article type, please read our submission guidelines to confirm that type is accepted by the journal.

Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. Please, select the appropriate Collection title “Breastfeeding in the setting of violence or abuse" under the “Details” tab during the submission stage. Articles will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process and are subject to all the journal’s standard policies. Articles will be added to the Collection as they are published.

The Editors have no competing interests with the submissions which they handle through the peer-review process. The peer-review of any submissions for which the Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.

There are currently no articles in this collection.