Peer-reviewed article

Co-occurrence of maternal intimate partner violence and violent discipline and its associations with child morbidity in the Philippines.

Abigail Puno-Balagosa, Amiya Bhatia, Joshua Jeong, Rockli Kim · 18 Mar 2025

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Violence against women and children is a global issue with profound impacts on health and well-being. Intimate partner violence (IPV) and violent discipline often coexist within households, yet the impact of their co-occurrence on child health remains understudied, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) like the Philippines. OBJECTIVE: This study sought to assess the independent and joint associations of IPV and violent discipline within households on child morbidity outcomes. METHODS: Using data from 6414 mother-child pairs from the 2022 Philippine National Demographic and Health Survey, logistic regression models were used to analyze the independent and joint associations between past-year maternal IPV, past-month violent child discipline and child morbidity (acute respiratory infection (ARI), fever and diarrhea in the past two weeks). Stratified analyses were performed by household wealth. RESULTS: About 16 % of the mothers experienced IPV in the past year, 62 % of children experienced violent discipline in the past month, and 12 % of families experienced both. In the two weeks preceding the survey, fever was the most prevalent symptom of child illness (10.5 %), followed by diarrhea (5.8 %) and ARI (1.3 %). IPV and violent discipline were independently associated with increased risks of ARI, fever, and diarrhea in children under five. Their co-occurrence further heightened the risk of child morbidity (ARI aOR: 3.5, 95 % CI 1.7-7.1, fever aOR: 2.5, 95 % CI: 1.8-3.3, and diarrhea aOR: 2.5, 95 % CI 1.8-3.5), and these associations were consistent between poor and wealthy households. CONCLUSIONS: These findings call for comprehensive interventions, such as parenting and community-based programs that aim to address family violence, including IPV and violent discipline, to mitigate impacts on child health in LMICs.