Racial/Ethnic Discrimination and Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration in Latino Men: The Mediating Effects of Mental Health

Purpose: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious public health problem that disproportionately affects racial/ethnic minorities in the U.S. This study examines risk factors for IPV perpetration that are salient for racial/ethnic minorities; specifically, we test if racial/ethnic discrimination among Latino men is associated with IPV perpetration, if poor mental health (MH) mediates this link, and whether relationships differ by immigrant status. Methods: Using National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC-II) Wave 2 (2004–2005) data, multigroup structural equation modeling compared immigrant (N = 1187) and U.S.-born (N = 1077) Latinos on a mediation model whereby discrimination increases IPV risk via poor MH (anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress (PTSS); alcohol dependence (AD) and drug dependence (DD)). Results: For U.S.-born Latinos, discrimination increased anxiety (β = 0.24, p < 0.001), depression (β = 0.16, p < 0.001), PTSS (β = 0.09, p < 0.001), AD (β = 0.11, p < 0.001) and DD (β = 0.16, p < 0.001); anxiety (β = 0.16, p < 0.001), AD (β = 0.19, p < 0.001) and DD (β = 0.09, p < 0.01) increased IPV risk. Among Latino immigrants, discrimination increased anxiety (β = 0.07, p < 0.001), depression (β = 0.16, p < 0.001), PTSS (β = 0.08, p < 0.001) and DD (β = 0.03, p < 0.001); PTSS (β = 0.16, p < 0.001), AD (β = 0.21, p < 0.001) and DD (β = 0.05, p < 0.01) increased IPV risk. Conclusions: Among Latino men, discrimination is associated with poorer MH and contributes to IPV perpetration; MH risk factors vary by immigrant status.