Intimate partner violence and mental health outcomes among ever-married women in Mozambique

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is linked to adverse mental health outcomes. Despite its widespread prevalence and devastating consequences, the mental health impacts of IPV remain understudied in Mozambique. We examined the association between IPV and mental health outcomes among ever-married women in Mozambique.

This study adopted a cross-sectional design based on the most recent Mozambique Demographic and Health Survey (MDHS) conducted in 2022-23. The sample comprised of 3,957 ever-married women aged between 15 and 49 years. The outcome variable for our study is mental health outcomes specifically focusing on depressive and anxiety symptoms. The main independent variable is IPV, focusing on three forms: physical, sexual and emotional violence each measured as a binary variable (yes/no). A multivariate analysis using binary logistic regression was performed between IPV and mental health outcomes while controlling for other independent variables. Adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were reported. All analyses were weighted to account for complex survey design.

The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 11.5% (95% CI: 9.7-13.5) while that of anxiety symptoms was 29.9% (95% CI: 27.5-32.4). Ever-married women who experienced physical violence had significantly higher odds of depressive symptoms (aOR = 1.52, 95% CI: 1.01-2.30). Emotional violence was significantly associated with both depressive symptoms (aOR = 3.10; 95% CI: 2.08-4.61) and anxiety symptoms (aOR = 1.60; 95% CI: 1.22-2.11).

The findings highlight the need to integrate mental health services into IPV prevention and response programmes in Mozambique. Incorporating routine mental health screening within IPV services could enable early identification and timely support for victims.