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Cited by 140Intimate Partner and Family ViolenceChild Abuse and TraumaCrime Patterns and Interventions

Effects of South African Men’s Having Witnessed Abuse of Their Mothers During Childhood on Their Levels of Violence in Adulthood

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Abrahams, Naeemah, Jewkes, Rachel·2005·American Journal of Public Health
DOI 10.2105/ajph.2003.035006PMC PMC1449441
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Abstract

Objectives. We sought to assess the effects of witnessing violence against their mothers in childhood on men’s use of violence in a range of settings in adulthood. Methods. We conducted a cross-sectional questionnaire survey of 1368 randomly selected male municipal workers in Cape Town, South Africa. Results. Almost a quarter (23.5%; 95% confidence interval [CI]=21.2, 25.7) of the men reported witnessing abuse of their mother, and having witnessed such events was associated with men’s later involvement in physical conflicts in their community (odds ratio [OR]=1.72; 95% CI=1.29, 2.30) and at their place of work (OR = 1.83; 95% CI = 1.30, 2.58), use of physical violence against their partners (OR = 2.61; 95% CI = 1.94, 3.54), and arrest for possession of illegal firearms (OR=2.86; 95% CI=1.29, 6.32). Conclusions. Our results show strong links between “publicly” violent behavior among men and childhood experiences of “private” violence against their mothers. Prevention of domestic violence is essential both in its own right and as part of efforts to reduce broader violence and crime in society.

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  • Most studies have focused primarily on physical and sexual IPV exposure and perpetration rates among male populations.

    “Instead, most studies have focused primarily on physical and sexual IPV exposure and perpetration rates among male populations (Abrahams & Jewkes, 2005;Roberts et al., 2010;Smith et al., 2011).”

    From The Intergenerational Transmission of Emotional Intimate Partner Violence: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (2025) · cites this paper as Abrahams & Jewkes, 2005

    The Abstract (page not provided) describes a study of men’s childhood exposure to domestic violence and their later use of violence against intimate partners, so this paper is an example of research on male IPV exposure and perpetration. It does not establish that most studies focus on these topics, and the cited passages do not show a focus on sexual IPV. (LLM, conf=0.83)

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  • Many studies exploring intergenerational transmission focused primarily on physical violence exposure and perpetration.

    “Firstly, many studies exploring this intergenerational transmission focused primarily on physical violence exposure and perpetration (Abrahams & Jewkes, 2005;Kaufman-Parks et al., 2017;Puno et al., 2023).”

    From The Intergenerational Transmission of Emotional Intimate Partner Violence: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (2025) · cites this paper as Abrahams & Jewkes, 2005

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Research works printed but not linked: 22

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Authors
Abrahams, N., & Jewkes, R.
Affiliations
South African Medical Research Council (ZA)
ORCID
Venue
American Journal of Public Health
Publisher
American Public Health Association
Published
2005-10
Volume
95
Issue
10
Pages
1811-1816
ISSN
  • 0090-0036 (ISSN-L)
  • 1541-0048
DOI
10.2105/ajph.2003.035006
PMC
PMC1449441
OpenAlex
W2096819349
Cited by
140
References
2
Citations by year
2025: 4 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 11 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 16 · 2014: 11 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 7
FWCI
4.40
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • American Journal of Public Health (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • World Health Organization
  • South African Medical Research Council
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Health › Intimate Partner and Family Violence
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Crime Patterns and Interventions
Keywords
witnessing domestic violence, childhood abuse, maternal abuse, male violence, intimate partner violence, community violence, workplace violence, firearm possession, domestic violence prevention, South Africa
MeSH terms
Adult, Anger, Child, Psychology, Child, Conflict, Psychological, Cross-Sectional Studies, Cultural Characteristics, Firearms, Health Services Needs and Demand, Humans, Men, Middle Aged, Mothers, Power, Psychological, Surveys and Questionnaires, Risk Factors, Social Values, Socioeconomic Factors, South Africa, Spouse Abuse, Violence, Prevalence, Logistic Models, Substance-Related Disorders

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