- ✓Largest-ever global estimate of health burden from partner violence and childhood sexual violence across 204 countries
- ✓Clearly identifies mental health—anxiety and depression—as the primary health consequences for survivors
- ✓Provides strong evidence to push governments to fund prevention and survivor support programs that could save millions of healthy life years
| Journal | Lancet (London, England) |
| Year | 2026 |
| PMID | 41386261 |
What This Study Found
A massive global analysis covering 204 countries from 1990 to 2023 measured how much illness, disability, and early death can be traced back to intimate partner violence (IPV) against women and sexual violence against children (SVAC). The findings are striking: these forms of violence rank among the top five causes of lost healthy life years for women aged 15–49 worldwide.
Key Numbers
- 608 million women aged 15+ have ever experienced intimate partner violence
- 1 billion people aged 15+ experienced sexual violence during childhood
- IPV caused 18.5 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) lost in 2023 among women
- Childhood sexual violence caused 32.2 million DALYs lost in 2023
What Are DALYs?
A DALY (Disability-Adjusted Life Year) is a way researchers measure the total burden of disease. One DALY equals one year of healthy life lost—either due to illness, disability, or early death. The higher the number, the greater the health impact.
The Mental Health Connection
The study found that mental health disorders carry the greatest share of the burden among survivors of both IPV and childhood sexual violence:
- Anxiety disorders were the top health consequence of IPV, responsible for 5.43 million DALYs
- Major depression was the second leading consequence of IPV, causing 3.96 million DALYs
- For childhood sexual violence, self-harm (6.71 million DALYs) and schizophrenia (4.15 million DALYs) led the list
- Substance use disorders and chronic diseases were also linked to childhood sexual violence
Why This Matters for People With Diabetes
People living with diabetes are not immune to these issues. Chronic stress from trauma and violence can raise blood sugar levels, disrupt sleep, reduce motivation to manage health, and increase risk of depression—all of which make diabetes harder to control. If you or someone you know has experienced violence, seeking mental health support is a critical part of overall health management, including diabetes care.
What Researchers Are Calling For
The authors urge governments and health organizations worldwide to:
- Treat IPV and childhood sexual violence as major public health priorities
- Fund prevention programs to stop violence before it happens
- Invest in survivor support services that address both mental and physical health needs
- Recognize that preventing these harms could save millions of healthy life years annually
Bottom Line
Violence against women and children is not just a social issue—it is a massive public health crisis with lifelong consequences. Mental health is the hardest-hit area, but physical health, including chronic conditions like diabetes, is also affected. Prevention and survivor support must be global health priorities.