Service-seeking behaviors among male victims of violence in five African countries: The effects of positive and adverse childhood experiences

Abstract

Background: Violence against boys and men is widely under-reported. Boys and men face unique and gendered barriers to accessing services following experiences of violence. Participants and setting: The study is a secondary data analysis of five nationally representative population-based Violence Against Children and Youth Surveys (VACS) conducted in Kenya (2019), Côte d'Ivoire (2018), Lesotho (2018), Mozambique (2019), and Namibia (2019). Analysis was limited to males between 18 and 24 years who experienced lifetime physical or sexual violence. Objective and methods: We analyzed the association between positive and adverse childhood experiences (PCEs and ACEs), and seeking post-violence services among males using bivariate chi-squared tests and multivariable logistic regression. Results: 8.02 % (5.55–10.50 %) of male victims between the ages of 18 and 24 sought services for any lifetime physical or sexual violence. Witnessing interparental violence and experiencing death of one or both parents were each associated with increased odds of having sought post-violence services (aOR 2.43; 95 % CI: 1.25–4.79; aOR 2.27; 95 % CI: 1.14–4.50), controlling for education, violence frequency, and violence type. High parental monitoring was associated with increased odds of service seeking (aOR 1.79; 95 % CI: 1.02–3.16), while strong father-child relationship was associated with lower odds (aOR 0.45; 95 % CI: 0.23–0.89). Conclusion: These findings contribute to limited research on service-seeking behaviors among men and boys. While some parent-youth relationship factors were associated with higher odds of service-seeking, the outcome remained rare. Age and gender-related barriers should be addressed where post-violence care services are offered.