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Intimate partner violence and death among infants and children in India

Leland K Ackerson1, S V Subramanian

  • 1Department of Community Health and Sustainability, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, Massachusetts 01854, USA. leland_ackerson@uml.edu

Pediatrics
|October 14, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Maternal intimate partner violence (IPV) significantly increases the risk of child mortality. This study highlights the critical link between a mother

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Epidemiology
  • Sociology

Background:

  • Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a global health concern with profound implications for maternal and child well-being.
  • Understanding the specific risks associated with maternal IPV exposure is crucial for developing targeted interventions.
  • Child mortality remains a significant challenge in many regions, necessitating research into its multifaceted determinants.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between maternal victimization by intimate partner violence (IPV) and the risk of child death.
  • To quantify the relationship between different forms of maternal IPV and child mortality across various age groups.
  • To explore potential mediating factors contributing to the observed association.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from the nationally representative 2005-2006 National Family Health Survey of India, including 39,096 children under 60 months of age.
  • Assessed maternal reports of physical, sexual, and psychological IPV as exposures.
  • Examined outcomes of infant (0-<12 months), older child (12-<60 months), and overall child (0-<60 months) mortality.

Main Results:

  • Maternal physical IPV was significantly associated with increased child mortality rates across all age groups (RR: 1.21; 95% CI: 1.13-1.30).
  • Specific increased risks were observed for infant mortality (RR: 1.24; 95% CI: 1.01-1.53) and older child mortality (RR: 1.25; 95% CI: 1.00-1.56).
  • Sexual and psychological IPV showed weaker associations, and the link between maternal IPV and child death did not vary by child's gender.

Conclusions:

  • A robust association exists between exposure to household IPV and increased infant and child mortality.
  • Potential explanations include impaired maternal caregiving capacity, psychological distress from witnessing violence, and IPV as a proxy for child abuse.
  • Findings underscore the urgent need for integrated strategies addressing domestic violence to improve child survival rates.
Abstract

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