Peer-reviewed article
Perpetration of intimate partner violence and mental health outcomes: sex- and gender-disaggregated associations among adolescents and young adults in Nigeria
Lindsay Stark, Ilana Seff, Ann M. Weber, Beniamino Cislaghi, Melissa Meinhart et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examines the relationship between intimate partner violence perpetration and mental health outcomes among adolescents and young adults aged 13-24 in Nigeria. Using nationally representative survey data, researchers found associations between perpetrating intimate partner violence and poor mental health outcomes such as severe sadness, feelings of worthlessness, and suicide ideation, with different patterns for males and females. The authors suggest that gender norms may influence how distress from committing violence is understood and expressed differently across sexes.
Key points
- Intimate partner violence perpetration is associated with negative mental health outcomes among Nigerian adolescents and young adults
- The associations between IPV perpetration and mental health differ significantly between males and females
- Four mental health outcomes measured were severe sadness, feelings of worthlessness, suicide ideation, and alcohol use
- Past exposure to violence was controlled for in the analysis
- Socially determined gender norms may shape how distress from IPV perpetration is expressed differently by sex
Limitations
The cross-sectional nature of the data prevents determination of causal direction—it cannot establish whether IPV perpetration causes poor mental health or whether poor mental health leads to perpetration. The study is limited to self-reported measures of both violence perpetration and mental health outcomes.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The association between intimate partner violence (IPV) victimisation and poor mental health outcomes is well established. Less is known about the correlation between IPV perpetration and mental health, particularly among adolescents and young adults. Using data from the nationally representative Violence Against Children Survey, this analysis examines the association between IPV perpetration and mental health for male and female adolescents and young adults in Nigeria. METHODS: Multivariate logistic regression models were used to examine associations between ever-perpetration of IPV and four self-reported mental health variables: severe sadness, feelings of worthlessness, suicide ideation, and alcohol use. Models were sex-disaggregated, controlled for age, marital status, and schooling, and tested with and without past exposure to violence. Standard errors were adjusted for sampling stratification and clustering. Observations were weighted to be representative of 13-24 year-olds in Nigeria. RESULTS: < 0.001), as compared to non-perpetrating males. CONCLUSIONS: Among adolescents and young adults in Nigeria, IPV perpetration and negative mental health outcomes are associated but differ for males and females. Mindful of the cross-sectional nature of the data, it is possible that socially determined gender norms may shape the ways in which distress from IPV perpetration is understood and expressed. Additional research is needed to clarify these associations and inform violence prevention efforts.