Effects of South African Men’s Having Witnessed Abuse of Their Mothers During Childhood on Their Levels of Violence in Adulthood

Bibliographic Data

ID11027677
AuthorsNaeema Abrahams (0000-0002-6138-6256, South African Medical Research Council), Naeemah Abrahams (Naeemah Abrahams and Rachel Jewkes are with the Gender and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Tygerberg.), Rachel Jewkes (0000-0002-4330-6267, Naeemah Abrahams and Rachel Jewkes are with the Gender and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Tygerberg.)
Year2005
Volume95
Issue10
Pages1811-1816
Publication date2005-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0090-0036 • E-ISSN: 1541-0048
PublisherAmerican Public Health Association (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.2105/ajph.2003.035006
PMID16131646
PMCIDPMC1449441
OpenAlexW2096819349
LanguageEN
Citations received38
References cited16

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

Child abuse · Confidence interval · Cross-sectional study · Domestic violence · Environmental health · Geography · Injury prevention · Occupational safety and health · Odds ratio · Physical abuse · Poison control · Possession (linguistics) · Psychiatry · Quarter (Canadian coin) · Sociology · Suicide prevention · Child Abuse and Trauma · Demography · Elder Abuse and Neglect · Intimate Partner and Family Violence · Medicine