Intimate partner violence and depressive symptoms among ever-partnered Peruvian women: a repeated cross-sectional analysis of national surveys, 2015–2024

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major public health concern associated with adverse mental health outcomes in women. We examined trends in depressive symptoms and temporal variation in their association with IPV among ever-partnered Peruvian women from 2015 to 2024. We conducted a repeated cross-sectional analysis using data from 10 consecutive national ENDES surveys. The primary weighted analytic sample included 101,145 women aged 15–49 years. Depressive symptoms were defined as a PHQ-9 score ≥10. Survey-weighted prevalence ratios were estimated using modified Poisson regression with robust variance. Overall, 35.3% of women reported any IPV, including physical (28.0%), emotional (24.5%), and sexual IPV (6.1%). The weighted prevalence of depressive symptoms was 7.1%. The estimated annual relative change was +2.31% (95% CI: 1.03–3.61%; p  < 0.001), with a non-monotonic annual pattern. Any IPV was associated with higher prevalence of depressive symptoms (aPR: 2.37; 95% CI: 2.18–2.58). Emotional, physical, and sexual IPV were also associated with depressive symptoms (aPRs: 2.32 [95% CI: 2.14–2.53], 2.21 [95% CI: 2.04–2.39], and 1.97 [95% CI: 1.80–2.17], respectively). The association varied across periods: 2015–2019, aPR 2.72; 2020–2021, 1.77; and 2022–2024, 2.29 (p for interaction <0.001). IPV was consistently associated with depressive symptoms, although the magnitude varied over time. These findings support integrated, confidential identification of IPV alongside timely mental health assessment and referral, without establishing the effectiveness of any specific screening strategy.