Childhood exposure to interparental violence and mental health outcomes among men in India

Background: Childhood exposure to interparental violence can have lasting impacts on mental health, shaping attitudes and behaviors in adulthood. Objective: This study examines the association between childhood exposure to interparental violence and adverse mental health outcomes, including multiple sexual partners, substance abuse, justification of wife-beating, and spousal violence among men in India. Participants and setting: Data from 42,059 men aged 15-54 collected through Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) by visiting households during the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-5 (2019/21) were analyzed. The NFHS-5 was nationally representative and followed a robust sampling design to choose the sample comprising of men from rural and urban areas, various religious, educational, and socio-economic backgrounds, and different regions of India. Methods: Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the association between witnessing interparental violence in childhood and mental health outcomes, controlling for sociodemographic characteristics. Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) with 95 % confidence intervals (CI) were calculated to present the results. Results: Men who witnessed their father beating their mother in childhood had significantly higher odds of having multiple sexual partners (AOR = 2.52; 95 % CI: 1.90-3.33), substance abuse (AOR = 1.43; 95 % CI: 1.32-1.54), justifying wife-beating (AOR = 2.16; 95 % CI: 2.00-2.33) and spousal violence (AOR = 1.35; 95 % CI: 1.25-1.46). Conclusions: Childhood exposure to interparental violence is a significant determinant of adverse adult mental health outcomes. Early intervention programs, mental health services, and policy measures addressing socio-economic disparities are critical in breaking the intergenerational cycle of violence and fostering healthier behaviors.