The Prevalence of Intimate Partner/Spouse Violence against Males and its Association with Common Substances of Abuse in Kenya

Intimate partner/spouse violence is a global public health problem with many short-term and long-term effects on the physical and mental health of the general population. Intimate partner/spouse violence is predominantly perpetrated by males against women victims, but the men may also be the victims. This study sought to determine the prevalence of male intimate partner/spouse violence and its association with common substance abuse in Kenya. Data from the nationwide and representative Kenya Demographic and Health Survey, conducted in 2014, were further analysed. The Demographic and Health Survey utilizes a two-stage stratified sampling technique. 19.6%(n=3283) of males have ever experienced some form of emotional violence, 3.1%(n=3285) of males have ever experienced a form of severe physical violence and 3.7%(n=3284) of males have ever experienced a form of sexual violence orchestrated by intimate partner/spouse. Binary Logistic regression established that the males who do not take alcohol had lower odds of emotional intimate partner/spouse violence (OR 0.56, CI 0.46-0.68), to severe physical intimate partner/spouse violence (OR 0.60, CI 0.39-0.91) and to sexual intimate partner/spouse violence (OR 0.62, CI 0.43-0.90). Binary Logistic regression also established that the males with intimate partners/spouses who do not take alcohol had lower odds of being exposed to emotional intimate partner/spouse violence (OR 0.39, CI 0.28-0.56), to severe physical intimate partner/spouse violence (OR 0.20, CI 0.12-0.35) and to sexual intimate partner/spouse violence (OR 0.37, CI 0.21-0.67). Intimate partner violence against males is not rife in Kenya but it is a public health and social concern. The predictors of this vice are alcohol intake by both the men and their partners. Cigarette smoking by men was also significantly associated with male intimate partner violence. This study recommends that one of the strategic approaches to tackling male intimate partner violence is counselling the general population to abstain or refrain from common substances of abuse