Associations between depressive symptoms, socio-economic factors, traumatic exposure and recent intimate partner violence experiences among women in Zimbabwe: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background Population-based research on the cumulative effects of socio-economic conditions and trauma exposures, particularly women’s experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV) on their mental health in Zimbabwe, has been limited. Aim Our study aimed to determine the associations between depressive symptoms and socio-economic factors, IPV, and traumatic exposures among a nationally representative sample of women from Zimbabwe. Methods Data was collected from 2905 women who volunteered to participate in a survey that had a multi-stage random sampling design. Depression was measured using the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD). Traumatic exposures included childhood trauma, life events, and experiences of IPV in the past year. We compared mean depression scores for different categories of variables, conducted linear regression modelling to investigate the bivariate and multivariate associations between variables and depressive symptoms’ outcomes, and applied Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to investigate the inter-relationships between variables and depressive symptoms’ outcomes. Results Fifteen percent of women self-reported depressive symptoms (CESD score ≥ 21). Higher depressive symptomatology was associated with lower socio-economic status, experiencing IPV, history of childhood and other traumatic events, experiencing non-partner rape, and HIV positive status. Women who could find money in an emergency and sought informal or professional emotional support were less at risk of severe depressive symptoms. Conversely, seeking informal and formal social support was positively associated with more severe depressive symptoms. Conclusion This study contributes evidence showing that economic hardship, exposure to traumas including IPV, living with HIV, and low social support have a cumulative negative toll on mental health among Zimbabwean women from the general population. Programmes and services that respond to the mental ill-health effects reported by Zimbabwean women and prevention interventions that tackle the multiple risk factors for depression that we have identified must be prioritised.

The impact of food insecurity on mental health among older adults residing in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review

“…Women were also primarily responsible for purchasing, cooking, and serving food to their families while eating last, and the inability to fulfill these tasks increased the risk of intimate partner violence [56,74,75]. This, in turn, could further impact their mental health [76][77][78]. The association between food insecurity and mental health can be more pronounced for men due to the role of men in some patriarchal societies.…”

The Long Shadow of Intimate Partner Violence: Associations of Mental and Physical Health With Employment, Housing, and Demographic Factors

“…Subsequent studies have also found that women with experiences of IPV and poorer health outcomes are also more likely to be living on low incomes or lower incomes than prior to IPV ( Loxton et al, 2017 ; Wathen et al, 2018 ). Studies of accessing help also revealed women on low incomes were overrepresented among survivors and how this influences what services they can even access in some countries, for example, in the United States where mental health services may only be available to those who can afford to pay ( Machisa & Shamu, 2022 ; Wadsworth et al, 2018 ).…”

Investigating the social factors shaping the relationship between child marriage and mental health: Lessons learned from a pilot survey in Zimbabwe

“…In Zimbabwe, a recent population survey was conducted with 2905 women aged 18+ to investigate the associations between depressive symptoms and socioeconomic factors, IPV and other variables [27]. They found 15% of the women self-reported depressive symptoms, and higher rates of depressive symptoms were linked with experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV) and lower socio-economic status, amongst other things.…”