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Despite the well-documented link between child maltreatment (CM) and mental health, evidence suggests substantial variability in the post-traumatic sequelae of CM across cultures. The perceived acceptability of CM in one's community might moderate the association between CM and mental health, but little research has been conducted on it so far. This study examined how the perceived acceptability of CM may influence the relationship between CM experiences and post-traumatic symptoms in individuals from four different continents and if the pattern of associations is the same across countries. We recruited a sample of 478 adults from Cameroon (n = 111), Canada (n = 137), Japan (n = 108), and Germany (n = 122). We administered online questionnaires and performed multiple group moderation analyses for total CM, neglect, physical abuse, emotional maltreatment, sexual abuse, and exposure to domestic violence (DV). A significant positive main effect of CM on post-traumatic symptoms was found in the overall sample and in Cameroon; in Germany, only neglect and emotional maltreatment were positively associated to post-traumatic symptoms. Moderation effects were identified; the perceived acceptability of neglect in Cameroon and Germany and of exposure to DV in Cameroon had a dampening effect on the relationship between CM experiences and post-traumatic symptoms. Our findings confirm that CM experiences entail long-term post-traumatic sequelae that can vary across cultures and CM subtypes and further our understanding of this issue by showing that the perceived acceptability of CM may be an understudied moderator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Male depression has been recognized as an important factor in some cases of intimate partner violence but there is a paucity of literature connecting depression and intimate partner homicide (IPH). This retrospective study provides a preliminary analysis that distinguished depressed from nondepressed perpetrators of IPH from a sample of 135 cases analyzed by a coroner's homicide death review committee in Ontario, Canada. Depressed perpetrators were more likely to commit homicide-suicide and had almost 1.5 times the number of risk factors present than nondepressed perpetrators. Consistent with the existing literature, the results indicated that depressed perpetrators were significantly older, more likely to commit homicide-suicide than homicide only, more likely to have prior threats or attempts of suicide, more likely to have been abused or witnessed domestic violence as a child than nondepressed perpetrators and more likely to exhibit sexual jealousy. The implications for these findings are outlined in terms of training of mental health professionals and public awareness about the potential lethality of domestic violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]