THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MENTAL HEALTH AND INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE
ANDREA C. A. BHAGWANDEEN, ATTORNEY-AT-LAW
As if intimate partner violence (IPV) was not a topic taboo enough, the critical intersection between mental health and these concerns has long been overlooked in public health and social policy. Typically, whenever debates about violence begin, the victims are usually the centre of attention. However, this article aims to emphasize that the perpetrators' mental health is equally important and may have a more far-reaching impact on resolving the core causes of these long-standing societal problems.
Understanding the Terms: Intimate Partner Violence, Mental Health Issues and Mental Disorders
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines The WHO also defines intimate partner violence (IPV) as physical, sexual, or psychological harm by a current or former partner or spouse (World Health Organization 2024).
A commonly used term is gender-based violence (GBV), which the WHO defines as any act of violence against someone based on their gender identity or perceived gender. Gender-based violence refers to a greater variety of violence directed at people based on their gender, notably against women and girls. However, males can be victims as well as abusers, and mental health frequently influences both roles. (World Health Organization 2024).
Plato, who advocated a mentalist concept of mental disorder, was the first to invent the phrase "mental health," which was defined as reason helped by temper and dominating over passion.(Grube 1954) Around the same time, Hippocrates, who took a more physicalist approach, characterized various mental illnesses as imbalances between different types of "humors." (Lloyd, Chadwick, and Mann 1983) Wilhelm Griesinger, about two centuries ago, was the first to say that "mental illness is brain illness," a term that has given tremendous impetus to the more recent medical view of mental illness. (Arens 2024)
Mental health issues range from minor concerns we all regularly face to severe long-term disorders. Most people who have mental health problems may overcome them or learn to live with them, particularly if they seek help early on. (Health (US) and Study 2007) A psychological disorder, sometimes known as a mental disorder, is a set of behavioral or psychological symptoms that affect various aspects of one's life and cause discomfort for the individual experiencing them.(World Health Organization 2022; Kendra 2023).
The Prevalence of IPV
Statistics highlight the global scale of IPV
The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
According to the National Women's Health Survey for Trinidad and Tobago: Final Report, which was issued in February 2018, found that approximately 30% of women in Trinidad and Tobago experienced physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner. Seven percent of all respondents reported having been forced into sexual intercourse by a non-partner (World Health Organisation 2024). The issue is compounded by a lack of mental health resources and societal stigma surrounding seeking help(Ministry of Health of Trinidad and Tobago et al. 2022).
The United States of America
The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey 2016/2017 Report on Intimate Partner Violence indicated that almost 1 in 2 women (47.3% or 59 million) in the United States reported any contact with sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking victimization by an intimate partner. One in 4 U.S. men (26.3% or 31 million) experienced any contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/ or stalking by an intimate partner. Furthermore, men who experience IPV are less likely to report it due to societal expectations around masculinity. More than 40 percent (44.2% or 52.1 million) of U.S. men reported any contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime. (Leemis et al. 2022)
The Republic of India
In India, The National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) indicated that around 30% of women experience physical violence (Roy 2022). Based on data from the NFHS of India, a 2019-21 nationwide survey that explored the intersection among alcohol consumption, gender roles, IPV, and mental health from the perspective of heavy-drinking men who also perpetrate IPV and their spouses, showed a significant number of men also reporting mental health issues due to familial stress and societal pressures; the results of which highlighted the intersecting problems of alcohol and violence, which independently and together signify an emergent public health problem that can have immense ramifications on mental health of perpetrators, victims of IPV, and their children.(Satyanarayana et al. 2015)
The Republic of Uganda
The Ugandan Demographic and Health Survey 2016 revealed that 56% of women aged 15-49 have experienced physical violence, with many men facing mental health challenges attributed to poverty and societal expectations of male dominance (Nakitto, Nzabona, and Wandera 2023). This is distant from the fifth Sustainable Development Goal of ending all forms of discrimination and violence against women and girls by 2030. (Loewe and Rippin 2015).