Abstract:

Background: Depression and suicidal thoughts are associated with intimate partner violence (IPV), a public health issue that highly impacts women’s physical and mental health, especially in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) including Tanzania. Depression and suicidal thoughts are also known to be associated with other risk behaviors such as substance abuse and risky sex. Most studies have given more focus to women who experience IPV than on male perpetrators. Hence knowledge of the relationship between male perpetrators of IPV, depression and suicide thoughts is urgently needed, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of depression and suicidal thoughts associated with the perpetration of IPV and other psychological factors among young adult men in Mwanza, Tanzania.

Methods: This study used data from a male cross-sectional survey conducted between June 2021 and February 2022 by the Mwanza Intervention Trial Unit (MITU) in Mwanza, Tanzania. The study included 1002 young adult men aged between 18 and 24 years old. Data on socio-demographic characteristics, symptoms of depression, suicidal thoughts, different form of IPV perpetration and other associated psychological factors were analyzed using STAT software version 17. Analysis was restricted to 828 participants who reported being in intimate relationships given intimate partner violence being the main study exposure.

Results: In this study, 333(40.2%) were screened with depressive symptoms and 93(11.9%) with suicidal thoughts. Also 725 (87.6%) of the participants reported ever perpetrating any form of intimate partner violence while 653 (78.9%) reported perpetrating IPV in the past 12 months. In the adjusted depression was statistically significantly associated with sexual IPV perpetration (aOR=2.19, 95%CI=1.57, 3.04), emotional IPV(aOR=1.76, 95%CI=1.26, 2.46) perpetration, controlling behaviours (aOR=1.46 95%CI=1.10, 1.93) and economic violence (aOR=1.32 95%CI= 1.01, 1.74). However none of the multivariable models in all types of IPV perpetration showed a significant association with suicidal thoughts (P-value>0.005). Men with food insecurity were highly significantly associated with depression with a p-value less than 0.01 in all adjusted models controlling for different IPV perpetration forms and other factors.

Conclusion: Depression and suicidal thoughts are associated with intimate partner violence perpetration and other psychological factors such as food insecurity and gambling among young men in Mwanza Tanzania. This call for a need to design good inclusive interventions that can address both intimate partner violence and such mental problems to reduce the risk of adverse impacts associated with both that can affect them, their partners and their families at large.