A Quantitative Exploration of the Effects of Intimate Partner Violence on Mother's Mental Health in Informal Settlements in Nairobi, Kenya

Background and Purpose: Mental health consequences of intimate partner violence (IPV) against women are a global health concern. Findings from recent studies in Kenya suggest that depressive disorder (17%), psychological distress (42%), and IPV (66%) are likely higher in informal settlements than national rates. Research also indicates that IPV is more common in households with children, amplifying the burden of psychological distress on IPV-exposed mothers with children, especially those living in resource-limited settings like informal settlements. While there is strong evidence from low- and middle-income countries supporting the association between IPV and mental disorders among pregnant and postpartum women, less is known about how mothering while experiencing IPV impacts women’s mental health. This study aims to fill this gap by exploring the moderation effect of recent experiences of IPV on the relationship between mothering and mental health outcomes for women living in informal settlements.

Methods: Cross-sectional household-level surveys were collected by community-members from a probability sample of 800 women living in two informal settlements (Mathare and Kibera) in Nairobi, Kenya. Mental health measures included the Personal Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7). Women’s experiences of IPV in the past 30 days were assessed using the World Health Organization’s Violence Against Women measure (VAW-CORR-5). Separate linear regressions were used to explore the moderation effect of recent IPV on the relationship between motherhood and depression and anxiety.

Results: Approximately 41% of the participants experienced IPV in the past month. Around 63% of the participants had mild (37%), moderate (22%), or severe (4%) symptoms of depression, while roughly 56% of participants had mild (37%), moderate (12%), or severe (7%) symptoms of anxiety. A majority of the participants (94%) were mothers. Results from regression analyses showed significant association between women experiencing IPV (past 30 days) and mental health outcomes (depression β =1.66, p <0.0001; anxiety β =1.53, p <0.0001). Motherhood had a significant moderating effect, i.e., for mothers, experiencing IPV was associated with a 3.87 point increase on the depression scale (p < 0.05).

Conclusions and Implications: Findings suggest that IPV-exposed mothers are particularly vulnerable to negative mental health outcomes. Our findings can provide social workers, policy-makers, and health practitioners with insightful information about how IPV and motherhood jointly impact women’s mental health to better support targeted prevention and intervention strategies in informal settlements. Given the limited access to mental health and violence-related resources, it is critical that social work research continues to collaborate with community members to provide mental health support to mother’s experiencing IPV in their communities.