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Effects of South African men's having witnessed abuse of their mothers during childhood on their levels of violence in adulthood

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  • Abrahams, N.
  • Jewkes, R.

Abstract

Objectives. We sought to assess the effects of witnessing violence against their mothers in childhood on men's use of violence in a range of settings in adulthood. Methods. We conducted a cross-sectional questionnaire survey of 1368 randomly selected male municipal workers in Cape Town, South Africa. Results. Almost a quarter (23.5%; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 21.2, 25.7) of the men reported witnessing abuse of their mother, and having witnessed such events was associated with men's later involvement in physical conflicts in their community (odds ratio [OR] = 1.72; 95% CI = 1.29, 2.30) and at their place of work (OR = 1.83; 95% CI = 1.30, 2.58), use of physical violence against their partners (OR = 2.61; 95% CI = 1.94, 3.54), and arrest for possession of illegal firearms (OR = 2.86; 95% CI = 1.29, 6.32). Conclusions. Our results show strong links between "publicly" violent behavior among men and childhood experiences of "private" violence against their mothers. Prevention of domestic violence is essential both in its own right and as part of efforts to reduce broader violence and crime in society.

Suggested Citation

  • Abrahams, N. & Jewkes, R., 2005. "Effects of South African men's having witnessed abuse of their mothers during childhood on their levels of violence in adulthood," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 95(10), pages 1811-1816.
    • Handle: RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2003.035006_1
    DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2003.035006
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    1. Mustafa Özer & Jan Fidrmuc & Mehmet Ali Eryurt, 2023. "Education and domestic violence: Evidence from a natural experiment in Turkey," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 76(3), pages 436-460, August.
    2. Leight, Jessica, 2021. "Like father, like son, like mother, like daughter: Intergenerational transmission of intrahousehold gender attitudes in Ethiopia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).
    3. Ruvani W Fonseka & Alexandra M Minnis & Anu Manchikanti Gomez, 2015. "Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration among Sri Lankan Men," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(8), pages 1-21, August.
    4. Akemi Tomoda & Ann Polcari & Carl M Anderson & Martin H Teicher, 2012. "Reduced Visual Cortex Gray Matter Volume and Thickness in Young Adults Who Witnessed Domestic Violence during Childhood," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 7(12), pages 1-11, December.
    5. Mustafa Özer & Jan Fidrmuc, 2017. "Male Education and Domestic Violence in Turkey: Evidence from a Natural Experiment," Working Paper series 17-23, Rimini Centre for Economic Analysis.
    6. Jeong, Joshua & Bhatia, Amiya & Skeen, Sarah & Adhia, Avanti, 2021. "From fathers to peers: Association between paternal violence victimization and peer violence perpetration among youth in Malawi, Nigeria, and Zambia," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 278(C).
    7. Sunday B. Fakunmoju & Shahana Rasool, 2018. "Exposure to Violence and Beliefs About Violence Against Women Among Adolescents in Nigeria and South Africa," SAGE Open, , vol. 8(4), pages 21582440188, December.
    8. Doaa M. Abdel-Salam & Bashayer ALruwaili & Doaa Mohamed Osman & Maha Mamluh M. Alazmi & Sama Ayman Mater ALghayyadh & Rawan Ghazi Zaki Al-sharari & Rehab A. Mohamed, 2022. "Prevalence and Correlates of Intimate Partner Violence among Women Attending Different Primary Health Centers in Aljouf Region, Saudi Arabia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(1), pages 1-13, January.
    9. Go, Vivian F. & Srikrishnan, Aylur K. & Salter, Megan L. & Mehta, Shruti & Johnson, Sethulakshmi C. & Sivaram, Sudha & Davis, Wendy & Solomon, Suniti & Celentano, David D., 2010. "Factors associated with the perpetration of sexual violence among wine-shop patrons in Chennai, India," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 71(7), pages 1277-1284, October.
    10. Amanda Selin & Stephanie M. DeLong & Aimée Julien & Catherine MacPhail & Rhian Twine & James P. Hughes & Yaw Agyei & Erica L. Hamilton & Kathleen Kahn & Audrey Pettifor, 2019. "Prevalence and Associations, by Age Group, of IPV Among AGYW in Rural South Africa," SAGE Open, , vol. 9(1), pages 21582440198, February.

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