Children’s Experience of Physical Harms and Exposure To Family Violence From Others’ Drinking in Nine Societies
Abstract
Aim
To study caregiver reports of children’s experience of physical harm and exposure to family violence due to others’ alcohol use in nine societies, assess the relationship of harm with household alcohol use pattern and evaluate whether gender and education of caregiver affect these relationships.
Method
Using data on adult caregivers from the GENAHTO (Gender and Alcohol’s Harm to Others) project, child alcohol-related injuries and exposure of children to alcohol-related violence (CAIV) rates are estimated by country and pooled using meta-analysis and stratified by gender of the caregiver. Households with and without heavy or harmful drinker(s) (HHD) are compared assessing the interaction of caregiver gender on the relationship between reporting HHD and CAIV, adjusting for caregiver education and age. Additionally, the relationship between caregiver education and CAIV is analyzed with meta-regression.
Results
The prevalence of CAIV varied across societies, with an overall pooled mean of 4% reported by caregivers. HHD was a consistent correlate of CAIV in all countries. Men and women in the sample reported similar levels of CAIV overall, but the relationship between HHD and CAIV was greater for women than for men, especially if the HHD was the most harmful user. Education was not significantly associated with CAIV.
Conclusion
One in 25 caregivers with children report physical or family violence harms to children because of others’ alcohol use. The adjusted odds of harm are significantly greater (more than four-fold) in households with a heavy or harmful [at-risk] alcohol user, with men most likely to be defined as this user in the household.
