Family violence and lower positive mental health in adults: Health Infobase

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Background

Family violence prevention and mental health promotion are public health priorities in Canada.

Family violence is linked to a wide range of negative health outcomes^{Footnote 1Footnote 2}. However, the association between family violence and impaired positive mental health is underexplored.

The analysis in this blog used data from the 2023 Survey on COVID-19 and Mental Health (SCMH)^{Footnote 3}. The aim of the analysis was to address a gap in evidence. It confirms that family violence was negatively associated with positive mental health in a large, representative data set.

Family violence

Family violence is any form of abuse or neglect that a child or adult experiences from a family member or from someone they have an intimate relationship with^{Footnote 4}. The most common forms of family violence include:

• physical abuse
• sexual abuse
• emotional abuse
• financial abuse
• neglect^{Footnote 4}

This blog explores 2 indicators of family violence:

• concerns about household violence
• experiences of emotional abuse in intimate relationships

Positive mental health

Positive mental health is the capacity to feel, think, and act in ways that enhance our ability to enjoy life and deal with challenges^{Footnote 5}.

This blog examines 5 positive mental health outcomes:

• self-rated mental health
• happiness
• community belonging
• psychological well-being
• life satisfaction^{Footnote 6}

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Key findings

• Being concerned about violence in one’s home was linked to lower positive mental health. This was found in 4 out of 5 positive mental health outcomes.
• Experiencing emotional abuse in an intimate relationship was linked to lower positive mental health. This was found across all 5 positive mental health outcomes.

Family violence may be a risk factor for lower positive mental health. Preventing family violence:

• protects fundamental human rights
• ensures the safety and dignity of individuals
• could promote mental health in the population^{Footnote 7}

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Household violence concerns

In early 2023, 5.0% of adults were somewhat, very, or extremely concerned about violence in their home. Prevalence was similar among men+ (4.9%) and women+ (5.0%) gender categories.

Compared to those who were not at all concerned, adults who were concerned about violence in their home:

• were less likely to report
  • high self-rated mental health
  • high happiness
  • high psychological well-being
• rated their satisfaction with life lower on average

Notes

• Source: 2023 Survey on COVID-19 and Mental Health
• Notes:
  • All estimates are weighted with sampling and bootstrap weights to be representative and to account for survey design.
  • Errors bars represent 95% confidence intervals.
  • *Significantly different compared to the reference group (population who responded that they were ‘not at all concerned’ about violence in the home) at p-value < 0.05, based on chi-square tests (self-rated mental health, happiness, community belonging, and psychological well-being) and t-test (life satisfaction).

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Emotional abuse in intimate relationships

Among adults with a current partner or in contact with a former partner in the past 5 years:

• 16.5% experienced at least 1 emotionally abusive behaviour
• prevalence was similar among women+ (16.7%) and men+ (16.1%)

We compared adults who experienced at least 1 emotionally abusive behaviour from a partner to those who did not. Adults who experienced emotional abuse:

• were more likely to be concerned about violence in their home (13.1%) compared to those who did not report emotional abuse (3.7%)
• were less likely to report
  • high self-rated mental health
  • high happiness
  • high community belonging
  • high psychological well-being
• rated their satisfaction with life lower on average

Notes

• Source: 2023 Survey on COVID-19 and Mental Health
• Notes:
  • All estimates are weighted with sampling and bootstrap weights to be representative and to account for survey design.
  • Errors bars represent 95% confidence intervals.
  • * Significantly different compared to the reference group (population who reported no emotional abuse) at p-value < 0.05, based on chi-square tests (self-rated mental health, happiness, community belonging, and psychological well-being) and t-test (life satisfaction).

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Help is available

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 9-1-1.

If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, call or text 9-8-8. Support is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through 9-8-8: Suicide Crisis Helpline.

Help is also available through Kids Help Phone (1-800-668-6868) and the Hope for Wellness Help Line (1-855-242-3310).

For national and regional services and resources, find family violence resources and services in your area.

About the data source

Statistics Canada collected data for the 2023 SCMH from February to May 2023^{Footnote 3}. The population for the survey was adults aged 18 years or older living in the 10 Canadian provinces.

For household violence concern and positive mental health comparisons, sample sizes ranged from 11,283 to 11,500. This was due to partially missing data on those variables.

For emotional abuse and positive mental health comparisons, sample sizes ranged from 8,618 to 8,749. This was due to:

• partially missing data on those variables
• exclusion of those who were not in a current relationship and had not been in contact with a former partner in the past 5 years

People aged 17 years or younger were excluded in survey recruitment, as were people living:

• in the territories
• on reserves
• in institutions
• in collective, inactive, vacant, or unmailable dwellings

The 2023 SCMH measured household violence concerns by asking "How concerned are you about violence in your home?". Response options included “not at all”, “somewhat”, “very”, and “extremely”.

For experiences of emotional abuse, the survey asked individuals who reported having a current partner or being in contact with a previous partner in the past 5 years. The survey asked whether any of these partners:

• "Tries to limit your contact with family or friends"
• "Puts you down or calls you names to make you feel bad"
• "Is jealous and doesn't want you to talk to other men or women"
• "Harms, or threatens to harm, someone close to you"
• "Harms, or threatens to harm, your pets"
• "Demands to know who you are with and where you are at all times"
• "Damages or destroys your possessions or property"

Other forms of family violence, like physical and sexual abuse^{Footnote 4}, were not captured by the SCMH.

The 2023 SCMH used the same measures as the adult version of the Positive Mental Health Surveillance Indicator Framework to report on the 5 positive mental health outcomes^{Footnote 6}.

The measures were self-reported. The estimates of family violence and positive mental health could be influenced by social desirability and other biases.

Gender

There was a small sample size for non-binary individuals. To protect confidentiality, Statistics Canada randomly distributed them into the men or women categories. This resulted in 2 gender categories named “men+” and “women+”.