The Influence of Parental Gender-Based Violence and Discrimination on Children’s Socioemotional Development: Evidence From Low- and Middle-Income Countries

J Interpers Violence. 2025 Dec 30:8862605251404920. doi: 10.1177/08862605251404920. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

This study investigates the intergenerational impacts of gender-based violence and discrimination (GBVD) experienced by mothers on the socioemotional development of young children using microdata from over 6,000 mother-child pairs drawn from the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS6) across five LMICs: Comoros, Eswatini, Fiji, Vanuatu, and Vietnam. Using household fixed effects and instrumental variable approaches, we examine how various dimensions of maternal GBVD, including feeling unsafe at home, gender-based and sexual orientation discrimination, and unsafe community environments, affect children’s expression behaviors, social competence, and functional learning difficulties. Our results show that exposure to maternal GBVD is significantly associated with poorer socioemotional outcomes across all dimensions, with the strongest effects observed for children of mothers who report discrimination related to gender identity or sexual orientation. Mechanism analysis reveals that maternal well-being, harsh parenting practices, and reduced cognitive caregiving mediate these effects. Importantly, we find that mothers with higher education levels and greater access to media are more resilient, providing protective buffers that mitigate the negative impact of GBVD on their children. These findings underscore the long-term developmental risks associated with interpersonal violence and highlight the need for integrated policy interventions that combine violence prevention with support for maternal empowerment and child development.JEL codes: I14, J13, J16.

PMID:41467480 | DOI:10.1177/08862605251404920