León, J., Benavides, M., Ponce de León, M. y Espezúa, L. (2016). Los efectos de la violencia doméstica sobre la salud infantil de los niños y las niñas menores de cinco años en el Perú. Lima: GRADE. Documentos de Investigación, 82.

This study aims to measure the effect of different variables related with domestic violence (violence against children, witnessing violence toward the mother, and violence against women) on child’s health (malnutrition and morbidity). Using the 2013 Demographic and Health Survey from Peru that gathered for the first time information on violence against children at individual level, the authors explore the effect of these variables on child’s health. The net effects of domestic violence on child’s health in Peru were computed using logistic regression models. Also, Structural Equation Models (SEM) were employed to test the robustness of our findings, since it takes into account the endogeneity of the domestic violence variables, which are used as explanatory variables in the child’s health logistic regression analysis. The findings revealed that violence against children, either physical or psychological, has no effect on child malnutrition or child´s morbidity. In terms of witnessing violence towards her mother, we also found no effect on child´s health or child´s morbidity but we found a positive association with violence against children either physical or psychological. Finally, the authors found positive and significant association between violence against women with child morbidity as well as physical and psychological violence against children. This way, it can be seen that violence against women is a major risk factor, not only for violence against children but also on child’s health, particularly in the prevalence of acute respiratory infections and diarrheal episodes.