Intimate partner violence and parent’s use of violent discipline against young children in Rwanda: A baseline study of the REAL fathers Initiative

• Fathers’ alcohol use, larger family size, and coercive attitudes increased risk of IPV and child physical discipline. • Nurturing caregiving, non-violent attitudes, and parental confidence reduced mothers’ use of physical violence. • Multivariate logistic regression linked fathers’ weekly alcohol use and larger family size to increased IPV and child physical punishment. • Targeting first-time parents with programs like REAL Fathers offers a critical window to curb interlinked IPV and violent discipline. Evidence increasingly demonstrates an overlap between children who experience violent discipline and those living in a home where there is intimate partner violence (IPV). This paper explores multi-level factors associated with women’s experience of IPV, men’s and women’s use of violent discipline with their under-five children, and the potential pathways between these factors and parents’ use of violent discipline. This baseline survey is part of a quasi-experimental pre-/post-test evaluation of the REAL Fathers Initiative in Rwanda. 317 fathers aged 16–30 with an under-five child, and their female partners participated in the survey. Participants answered questions about their parenting practices and intimate relationship. The analysis included bivariate and multivariate logistic regression for men’s and women’s use of violent discipline and women’s IPV experience. Path analysis was used to develop models for men’s and women’s use of physically violent discipline. 44% of women and 23% of men report experiencing/perpetrating IPV in the past three months. IPV experience was associated with having more children, men’s weekly alcohol consumption, coercive behavior, and attitudes favoring IPV. Women used violent discipline more (81%) than men (54%). Having more children, men’s alcohol consumption, and use of nurturing care were associated with men’s physical discipline. Mothers were less likely to report physical discipline when they used some nurturing care, held attitudes against violent discipline, or had confidence they could avoid it. By focusing on new parents, this study indicates the potential of early intervention to prevent harm in the household.