Racial/Ethnic Discrimination and Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration in Latino Men: The Mediating Effects of Mental Health

Ana Isabel Maldonado, Carol B. Cunradi and Anna María Nápoles
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Ana Isabel Maldonado: Division of Intramural Research, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institutes of Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Building 3, Floor 5, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
Carol B. Cunradi: Prevention Research Center, Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, 2150 Shattuck Avenue, Suite 601, Berkeley, CA 94704, USA
Anna María Nápoles: Division of Intramural Research, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institutes of Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Building 3, Floor 5, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 21, 1-17

Abstract: Purpose: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious public health problem that disproportionately affects racial/ethnic minorities in the U.S. This study examines risk factors for IPV perpetration that are salient for racial/ethnic minorities; specifically, we test if racial/ethnic discrimination among Latino men is associated with IPV perpetration, if poor mental health (MH) mediates this link, and whether relationships differ by immigrant status. Methods: Using National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC-II) Wave 2 (2004–2005) data, multigroup structural equation modeling compared immigrant ( N = 1187) and U.S.-born ( N = 1077) Latinos on a mediation model whereby discrimination increases IPV risk via poor MH (anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress (PTSS); alcohol dependence (AD) and drug dependence (DD)). Results: For U.S.-born Latinos, discrimination increased anxiety (β = 0.24, p < 0.001), depression (β = 0.16, p < 0.001), PTSS (β = 0.09, p < 0.001), AD (β = 0.11, p < 0.001) and DD (β = 0.16, p < 0.001); anxiety (β = 0.16, p < 0.001), AD (β = 0.19, p < 0.001) and DD (β = 0.09, p < 0.01) increased IPV risk. Among Latino immigrants, discrimination increased anxiety (β = 0.07, p < 0.001), depression (β = 0.16, p < 0.001), PTSS (β = 0.08, p < 0.001) and DD (β = 0.03, p < 0.001); PTSS (β = 0.16, p < 0.001), AD (β = 0.21, p < 0.001) and DD (β = 0.05, p < 0.01) increased IPV risk. Conclusions: Among Latino men, discrimination is associated with poorer MH and contributes to IPV perpetration; MH risk factors vary by immigrant status.

Keywords: Latino; immigrant status; racial/ethnic discrimination; anxiety; depression; posttraumatic stress symptoms; alcohol dependence; drug dependence; intimate partner violence perpetration (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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