The Mental Health Consequences of Intimate Partner Violence for Indian Wives

The purpose of this study was to determine if intimate partner violence victimization leads to adverse mental health consequences for married women in South India and whether these consequences were buffered by social connectedness and religiousness. This study used data from the 2019 Religion, Family Life, and Health Survey conducted in Chennai, India. IPV categories were analyzed to study their effect on depressive symptoms. Social connectedness and religious involvement were analyzed to detect potential buffering effects. Psychological IPV, physical IPV, and all types of IPV were found to have a significant and deleterious effect on mental health, indicated by depressive symptoms, while sexual IPV was not found to have a significant effect on depressive symptoms. Social connectedness was not significant when examining its ability to buffer the negative effects of psychological, physical, sexual, or all types of IPV. Not all facets of religious involvement were found to be significant when examining their buffering effects for psychological, physical, sexual, and all types of IPV. Religiousness and religious guidance were not significant buffers for any type of singular or combined IPV. Religious participation was significant for buffering the adverse mental health consequences of physical IPV and all types of IPV. Meditation or prayer was significant for buffering the adverse mental health consequences of physical, sexual, and all types of IPV. Depressive symptoms resulting from IPV were buffered by religious participation and meditation or prayer.