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

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.