Physical, sexual and overall reported interpersonal violence against adult out-patients with severe mental illness under remission, receiving healthcare at Butabika hospital: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Interpersonal violence is a significant public health and human rights concern. People living with severe mental illness are especially vulnerable. The Sustainable Development Goals 2030 Agenda aims to end violence. To this end, we gathered information on the prevalence and factors associated with interpersonal violence among one of the most impacted groups: individuals with severe mental illness at Butabika Hospital in Kampala, Uganda. We conducted a cross-sectional study in 2020, including individuals 18 years or older. Data was collected through a socio-demographics questionnaire and nine questions from the modified My Exposure to Community Violence Questionnaire. The assessment evaluated physical or sexual violence experience, frequency, and perpetrator identity. The data was analyzed using STATA version 12 through simple logistic regression to determine the correlation between a single exposure and the outcome of interest, with a significance level of 5%. Among 385 participants, the past year prevalence of overall reported interpersonal violence was about 34%, while physical and sexual reported interpersonal violence were approximately 29% and 11%, respectively. Participants who had perpetrated physical violence had higher odds of experiencing reported interpersonal violence. With increasing age, the odds of experiencing reported interpersonal violence decreased; compared to those aged 18–24 years, those aged 35–44 years had AOR = 0.31 (95% CI: 0.14–0.70, p = 0.005), and those aged 45 years and above had AOR = 0.34 (95% CI: 0.15–0.80, p = 0.013). Reported interpersonal violence was high among the participants. While individuals of older age had lower odds of reporting interpersonal violence, those who had perpetrated physical violence in the past year had higher odds. Screening for interpersonal violence among young patients is recommended. Psycho-education on preventing physical violence should be provided, especially to younger adults. The Ministry of Health should address violence against individuals with mental illness through mass sensitization. A prospective study could investigate risk and protective factors.