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In a study published in PLOS ONE, Distinguished Professor Denis Nash and colleagues examined the relationship between intimate partner violence (IPV) and mental health among people with HIV (PWH) in Cameroon, with a focus on how different types of IPV and levels of social support impact this relationship.
The study, which conducted interviews with 426 PWH who were beginning HIV care, aimed to (1) estimate the prevalence of four types of IPV (controlling behavior and emotional, physical, and sexual IPV) among PWH initiating HIV care in Cameroon; (2) assess the relationships among IPV, depression, and hazardous alcohol use; and (3) identify the extent to which the relationships among IPV, depression, and hazardous alcohol use vary by IPV type or level of social support.
Key findings included a high prevalence of IPV among the participants, with 54.8% experiencing controlling behavior, 42.0% experiencing emotional IPV, 28.2% experiencing physical IPV, and 23.7% experiencing sexual IPV. Controlling behavior was linked to higher rates of depressive symptoms regardless of social support levels. Emotional and physical IPV were associated with higher rates of depressive symptoms in participants with low social support but not in those with high social support. Controlling behavior, emotional IPV, and physical IPV were linked to higher rates of hazardous alcohol use, particularly among those with high social support. Sexual IPV did not show a significant association with depressive symptoms or hazardous alcohol use.
“Our study underscores the urgent need for services to screen for and address IPV in HIV care settings in Cameroon”, says Nash. “It also highlights the importance of considering the type of IPV and the level of social support when developing interventions to improve the mental health of PWH experiencing IPV”. The study concluded that future research should focus on the barriers and feasibility of integrating IPV and mental health services within HIV care.
