Poverty and the reconfiguration of social relationships in the Iraqi Kurdistan region: a quantitative analysis of family bonds, community ties, and social support

This study examines the relationship between poverty and the quality of social relationships in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, a post-conflict context where kinship obligations and religious norms are central to everyday life. Drawing on social capital and social disorganisation theories, a cross-sectional survey of 384 residents across Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, and Duhok assessed four poverty indicators alongside three relationship domains: family bonds, community ties, and social support. Regression models show that food insecurity (β = −0.51, p < .001) and subjective poverty (β = −0.49, p < .001) are most strongly associated with lower overall relationship quality, while associations are weakest for community ties. Mediation analysis indicates resource constraints form the primary indirect pathway linking poverty to weakened ties, followed by psychological stress and social stigma. The findings suggest that under morally binding norms such as Xizmayetî (kinship solidarity) and xeyre (communal charity), poverty does not dissolve social ties uniformly but reconfigures them: resources and trust consolidate within kinship networks while wider community engagement thins. The study provides culturally grounded evidence on the social costs of poverty, informing social protection policies aligned with SDGs.