Log in
Edit
DiscussA study in India, conducted by scientists from the Harvard School of Public Health and the University of Massachusetts Lowell has found a connection between domestic violence and under-5 child mortality.
The study, with a sample size of over 39000 children under 5 years of age taken from the National Family Health Survey, 2005-2006 found that children whose mothers were beaten up at home by their husbands or were psychologically abused had an increased likelihood (by about 21%) of dying before their fifth birthdays as compared to those children whose mothers had no history of abuse. The results were almost identical for infants less than one year of age and children aged one to five years. Infants, however, were nearly 50% more likely to die if their mothers faced physical abuse in combination with sexual or psychological abuse.
Dr. SV Subramanian, Associate Professor of Society, Human Development and Health at the Harvard School of Public Health states, by way of explanation, “One possible explanation revolves around the health of the mother. Women who are abused are more likely to suffer from physical and psychological illnesses. These illnesses may make a mother less able to access health care services for her child or to attend to her child’s daily health needs.”
Dr. Leland Ackerson, Assistant Professor of Community Health and Sustainability at the University of Massachusetts Lowell adds, “The second explanation is that the link between domestic violence and child mortality may also reflect the effects of psychological stress. Children who witness domestic violence tend to experience stress related psychological changes such as atypical cortisol production patterns, which could lower their immune defenses and make them more vulnerable to illness.”
The National Family Health Survey-III (2005-2006) reported that 37% women in India admitted to being physically or sexually abused by their husbands at some point in their lives.
Source
The Times of India (October 21, 2009)
