Prevalence and predictors of intimate partner violence against men in Kisumu slums, Kenya

Background: Men in sub-Saharan Africa experience intimate partner violence, with few reporting their cases to the legal authorities or coming out for assistance. Consequently, data on the prevalence and drivers of intimate partner violence in different parts of sub-Saharan Africa are inadequate. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate the prevalence and predictors of intimate partner violence against men in Kisumu slums, Kenya.

Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study included 398 randomly selected male participants from Kisumu slums, sampled data collected from Community Health Volunteers. We used a multinomial regression analysis to assess determinants and forms of violence.

Results: A total of 398 respondents out of 438 eligible men participated in the survey. The prevalence of intimate partner violence against men was 76.1%. From the multinomial regression, men who were married or living together, compared with never married, were 2.13 times more likely to have experienced physical violence (95% CI = 0.91-4.97, p = 0.080) and 2.41 times more likely to have experienced economic violence (95% CI = 1.20-4.84, p = 0.013). Compared to never married, men who divorced or separated were 5.42 times more likely to have experienced sexual violence (95% CI = 0.97-30.37, p = 0.055). Men who had primary education or less were 2.39 times more likely to have experienced sexual violence (95% CI = 1.02-5.61, p = 0.045). Men who were Muslim, compared with Protestants, were 2.37 times more likely to have experienced psychological or emotional violence (95% CI = 0.87-6.37, p = 0.086).

Conclusions: Sexual, physical, and emotional violence is common among men in Kisumu slums, and the prevalence differs by age, marital status, education, and religion. Safe spaces should be created that will enable men of diverse socio-demographic characteristics to share their experiences of violence by intimate partners. Policies, including education to increasing awareness of this issue, should be enacted to protect men from intimate partner violence.