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  • Clinical Research Article
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Paternal perinatal intimate partner violence victimization and child abuse

Pediatric Research (2025)Cite this article

Abstract

Background

Perinatal intimate partner violence (IPV) poses significant health risks for victims and their children. While maternal IPV victimization has been extensively studied, research on paternal IPV victimization remains limited. This study examines the prevalence of paternal perinatal IPV victimization and its association with child abuse and paternal psychological distress.

Methods

We analyzed cross-sectional data from 1248 postnatal fathers whose partners had given birth within 1 year in August 2021. IPV victimization was assessed across physical, psychological, economic, and sexual abuse subtypes. Outcomes included child abuse (physical, psychological, neglect, or any abuse) and paternal psychological distress. Modified Poisson regression was used to compute risk ratios (RR).

Results

Among fathers surveyed, 13.6% reported IPV victimization. Paternal IPV was associated with increased risk of child abuse, including physical (RR 2.04; 95% CI, 1.33–3.14), psychological (RR 2.08; 95% CI, 1.52–2.84), neglect (RR 3.10; 95% CI, 1.70–5.66), and any abuse (RR 1.98; 95% CI, 1.50–2.61).

Conclusions

Paternal perinatal IPV victimization is a significant public health concern associated with an increased risk of child abuse and psychological distress. These findings highlight the importance of considering fathers in IPV-related research and suggest the need for further study on inclusive approaches to family violence prevention.

Impact

  • Perinatal IPV victimization leads to adverse health outcomes for both victims and their children.

  • Our study found that 14% of postnatal fathers experienced perinatal IPV victimization, highlighting its prevalence.

  • Paternal perinatal IPV victimization is associated with an increased risk of child abuse within the household.

  • Additionally, paternal IPV victimization is linked to higher levels of paternal psychological distress.

  • These findings highlight the need for targeted support for affected fathers to protect child well-being.

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Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, E.O., upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We thank all the participants for their time and engagement in the JACSIS study.

Funding

The work is funded by Ready for COVID-19 Relief Fund [grant number: 5th period 2nd term 001]; the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) KAKENHIKAKENHI Grants, [grant number: 21H04856; 23K16345; 21K21131]; the Health and Labour Sciences Research Grants [grant number: 23DA0701].

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social Medicine, National Center for Child Health and Development, Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan

    Erika Obikane & Tsuguhiko Kato

  2. Department of Mental Health, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan

    Erika Obikane & Daisuke Nishi

  3. Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan

    Mako Nagayoshi

  4. Department of Health Policy, National Center for Child Health and Development, Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan

    Manami Ochi & Kenji Takehara

  5. Cancer Control Center, Osaka International Cancer Institute, Osaka, Japan

    Takahiro Tabuchi

  6. The Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research, Tokyo, Japan

    Takahiro Tabuchi

  7. Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan

    Takahiro Tabuchi

Authors
  1. Erika Obikane
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  2. Daisuke Nishi
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  3. Tsuguhiko Kato
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  4. Mako Nagayoshi
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  6. Kenji Takehara
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  7. Takahiro Tabuchi
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Contributions

E.O. conceptualized and designed the study, conducted the statistical analysis, and drafted the initial manuscript. D.N. and T.T. conceptualized and designed the study. All authors critically reviewed and revised the manuscript, approved the final manuscript as submitted, and agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Erika Obikane.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

D.N. reports personal fees outside of the submitted work from Startia, Inc., MD.net, and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, Ltd. Other authors have no conflicts of interest relevant to this article to disclose.

Ethics approval

This study is approved by the Osaka International Cancer Institute’s Research Ethics Committee (approval number: 20084) and the Research Ethics Committee of the Graduate School of Medicine/Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo (approval number: 2020336NI).

Patient consent

Informed consent was obtained electronically from all participants included in this study. Participants were provided with detailed information regarding the study’s purpose, procedures, potential risks, and confidentiality measures before giving their consent.

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Obikane, E., Nishi, D., Kato, T. et al. Paternal perinatal intimate partner violence victimization and child abuse. Pediatr Res (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-025-04296-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-025-04296-3

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