Support under strain: Alcohol use and social support in intimate partner violence among adolescent girls and young women
1
School of Health Systems and Public Health, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
2
Department of Psychology, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
3
Health Systems Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Pretoria, South Africa
4
Centre for Rural Health, School of Nursing and Public Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major public health concern with serious psychosocial and mental health implications for women globally. Social support is widely recognized as a protective factor against IPV, yet its effectiveness may be compromised in contexts of harmful alcohol use. This study examined the association between alcohol use and IPV and assessed whether perceived social support moderates the risk of IPV.
METHODS:
Baseline data were drawn from the HERStory-1 study, a cross-sectional survey of 4,399 adolescent girls and young women aged 15–24 years. Perceived social support was measured using the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Multivariable logistic regression models assessed associations between alcohol use, social support, and emotional, physical, and sexual IPV. Interaction terms tested alcohol use as a moderator, and marginal effects and predicted probabilities were estimated to illustrate IPV risk across levels of social support and alcohol use.
RESULTS:
Emotional IPV was the most prevalent form (23.1%), followed by physical (17.0%) and sexual IPV (6.3%); 25.2% of participants reported harmful alcohol use. High perceived family support was associated with reduced odds of emotional (aOR=0.53, 95% CI:0.42–0.66), physical (aOR=0.59, 95% CI:0.45–0.75), and sexual IPV (aOR=0.41, 95% CI:0.29–0.58). Friend support similarly reduced the odds of emotional (aOR=0.49, 95% CI:0.40–0.59), physical (aOR=0.55, 95% CI:0.44–0.68), and sexual IPV (aOR=0.52, 95% CI:0.37–0.72). Support from a significant other was not protective against sexual IPV. Harmful alcohol use significantly increased the odds of all IPV forms and weakened the protective effects of social support.
CONCLUSIONS:
Social support, particularly from family and friends, is a key protective factor against IPV, a major psychosocial risk to mental health and social wellbeing. However, its protective effect is diminished in the presence of harmful alcohol use, highlighting the need for integrated prevention strategies globally urgently.
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major public health concern with serious psychosocial and mental health implications for women globally. Social support is widely recognized as a protective factor against IPV, yet its effectiveness may be compromised in contexts of harmful alcohol use. This study examined the association between alcohol use and IPV and assessed whether perceived social support moderates the risk of IPV.
METHODS:
Baseline data were drawn from the HERStory-1 study, a cross-sectional survey of 4,399 adolescent girls and young women aged 15–24 years. Perceived social support was measured using the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Multivariable logistic regression models assessed associations between alcohol use, social support, and emotional, physical, and sexual IPV. Interaction terms tested alcohol use as a moderator, and marginal effects and predicted probabilities were estimated to illustrate IPV risk across levels of social support and alcohol use.
RESULTS:
Emotional IPV was the most prevalent form (23.1%), followed by physical (17.0%) and sexual IPV (6.3%); 25.2% of participants reported harmful alcohol use. High perceived family support was associated with reduced odds of emotional (aOR=0.53, 95% CI:0.42–0.66), physical (aOR=0.59, 95% CI:0.45–0.75), and sexual IPV (aOR=0.41, 95% CI:0.29–0.58). Friend support similarly reduced the odds of emotional (aOR=0.49, 95% CI:0.40–0.59), physical (aOR=0.55, 95% CI:0.44–0.68), and sexual IPV (aOR=0.52, 95% CI:0.37–0.72). Support from a significant other was not protective against sexual IPV. Harmful alcohol use significantly increased the odds of all IPV forms and weakened the protective effects of social support.
CONCLUSIONS:
Social support, particularly from family and friends, is a key protective factor against IPV, a major psychosocial risk to mental health and social wellbeing. However, its protective effect is diminished in the presence of harmful alcohol use, highlighting the need for integrated prevention strategies globally urgently.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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