Prevalence of childhood exposure to intimate partner violence and associations with mental distress in Cambodia, Malawi and Nigeria: A cross-sectional study

Research from high-income countries shows that witnessing intimate partner violence between caregivers is experienced by up to a third of all children and is related to poor mental health outcomes. Much less is known about the burden of witnessing intimate partner violence in low- and middle-income countries.

This study employed representative data from the Violence against Children and Youth Surveys (VACS) from Cambodia, Malawi, and Nigeria to explore the magnitude of witnessing intimate partner violence between caregivers. The findings highlight the association of negative mental health consequences faced by children living in households with intimate partner violence for selected low- and middle-income countries.