Mental Health, Intimate Partner Violence, and the Transition to Parenthood, Among Former Child Soldiers in Post-Conflict Sierra Leone

Traumatic violence exposure is associated with potential changes in mental health, intimate partner relationships, and high levels of psychological symptoms such as depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress, among war-affected youth. Furthermore, compared to unexposed groups, individuals who have experienced traumatic events perpetrate acts of intimate aggression at a higher rate, display a lack of expressiveness, and experience diminished intimacy, potentially increasing the likelihood of intimate partner violence (IPV). The biological, psychological, and social risk factors associated with poor mental health and IPV during the transition to parenthood represent a complex web of reciprocal interactions. However, the mental health and relationship adjustment of former child soldiers who become parents has never been investigated. Therefore, using data from the Longitudinal Study of War-Affected Youth in Sierra Leone, this study examined mental health and intimate partner relationship outcomes among a mixed gender sample of Sierra Leonean former child soldiers who became parents in the years following conflict. Participants were selected from pooled registries of male and female war-affected youth (25% female, ages 10–17 at baseline) in Sierra Leone who were interviewed at three time points: T1 (2002), T2 (2004), and T3 (2008). Matched cohorts of 80 parents (40 male, 40 female) and 80 non-parents (54 male, 26 female) were created using propensity score analysis. Analyses investigated additional social-ecological factors associated with mental health, intimate partner violence, and the transition to parenthood. Female parents reported significantly lower levels of perceived collective efficacy (M = 3.40, SD = 1.03) than female non-parents (M = 3.86, SD = 0.47) t(51) = 2.30, p = 0.03. A higher percentage of female parents (47.50%) reported being victims of intimate partner violence compared to female non-parents (23.08%), X²(1, N = 66) = 3.99, p = 0.05. School dropout was higher among female parents (81.6%) than female non-parents (26.92%), X²(1, N = 64) = 19.12, p <0.001. Male parents had lower socio-economic status (M = 0.41, SD = 0.74) compared to male non-parents (M = 1.30, SD = 2.29) t(63) = 2.55, p = 0.01. Male parents reported higher levels of externalizing behaviors (M = 19.72, SD = 5.11) than male non-parents (M = 17.02, SD = 3.73) t(66) = -2.80, p = 0.01. Male parents were also more likely to live with a partner (61.11%) than male non-parents (13.33%), X² (1, N = 51) = 9.70, p = 0.002 and both perpetrate (60%) and be victims of (50%) intimate partner violence as compared to male non-parents’ reports of IPV perpetration (14.81%), X²(1, N = 94) = 20.89, p <0.001 and victimization (12.96%), X²(1, N = 94) = 15.40, p <0.001. The transition to parenthood might be associated with increased vulnerability among youth in post-conflict settings, making them a target group for programmatic and policy attention. These results should be considered in clinical practice.