Background Routine IPV screening is a controversial topic and there is no evidence to suggest that it improves the health outcomes of women. Consequently, understanding the socio-cultural dimensions, becomes essential to ensure that victims receive appropriate and local support. This study was conducted to gather the perceptions of victims of IPV on the relevance of raising the topic at health care facilities and to determine specific categories of women to target for screening by medical personnel. It also explored how the information gathered could support victims and whether medical students should be trained on issues relating to IPV. Methods Thirty-three key informant interviews were conducted among women attending clinics from three teaching hospitals in the Lagos, Oyo and Osun States of South West Nigeria. The hospitals offer antenatal, emergency, primary care and community outreach clinics which are well-attended by women. A six-item questionnaire assessed eligibility for participation in the study and participants were then purposively sampled. Interviews were conducted using a semi-structured guide. Ethical approval and gatekeepers’ permissions were obtained, and each participant signed informed consent. Data was collected between June and November 2017. The data was entered into Excel and analysed deductively to answer each objective. Results Most ( n = 24) participants stated that medical practitioners should ask all women who present to health care facilities, about their experiences of IPV. Physically, medically and socially vulnerable women, including those in relationships with men in risky occupations, were identified as needing special attention and possible follow-up. They supported the use of the information within and outside of the health care facility, depending on the need of the woman. The majority ( n = 24) indicated a need to train medical students about IPV and 19 participants suggested for the topic to be curriculated. Most victims favoured the inclusion of a multidisciplinary team in teaching medical students about IPV. Conclusions Victims of IPV were in support of initiatives to discuss the topic among some groups of female patients in health care settings. They thought it would enhance the quality of care (medical, psychological, legal and social) to victims. They identified an inter-professional team of stakeholders to include when training medical students about IPV.

Background Medical practitioners are ideally positioned to mitigate the impact of gender based violence (GBV) on the health of victims. However, there is a lack of information on students' ability and willingness to do so. Objective To identify factors which impact on students' attainment of the knowledge and perceived ability to manage victims. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 388 (91.5%) final year medical students from three medical schools in South West, Nigeria. Results Students were knowledgeable on sexual (63.7%) and physical (54.6%) forms of GBV and unfamiliar with other forms. The mean scores for knowledge (7.1 ± 2.5 out of 11); attitude (52.6 ± 10.3 out of 80); personal comfort (44.1 ± 10.0 out of 65) and skills (3.1 ± 2.6 out of 7) were calculated. Younger respondents, females and married students reported less skill to manage victims. The location of school, previous training and personal comfort remained significant determinants of students' self reported skills on GBV. Respondents with prior training on GBV and comfortable with managing patients, were four times more likely to perceive they were more skilled than their peers [AOR = 4.33, 95% CI: 2.37 – 7.90 and AOR 3.53; 95% CI 2.16–5.78 respectively]. Conclusion Formalised skills training on GBV is a necessity, especially for young, female students and training cannot be left to serendipity. The medical curriculum should be reviewed.

Background Young people spend significant amount of time in school which has a substantial impact on the development of this group. Mental health problems and violence-related behaviours (VRBs) are common among youth including those in school. Studies on the relationship between school connectedness (SC), VRBs and mental health status (MHS) are currently scarce in the literature. This study was conducted to assess SC, VRBs, MHS of in-school youth in a rural community of southwest Nigeria and the association between SC, VRBs, and MHS. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 655 respondents randomly selected students of 4 public and 4 private senior secondary schools in Eruwa, Oyo State. A semi-structured interviewer-assisted questionnaire was used to obtain information on SC, VRBs and MHS. SC comprised of a 42-item scale, VRBs had 20 and MHS had 14-item scale. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics and chi-square with level of significance set at 10%. Results Mean age of students was 16.4±1.3 years (public 59.2%; private 40.8%). Above one-half (55.8%) were disconnected from school, 86.4% reported participation in or experience of VRBs and 28.3% had poor mental health. Students who did not experience VRBs were less likely to have poor MHS (OR: 0.438; 95%CI: 0.23-0.82; p = 0.010). Students from monogamous family setting were less likely to have poor MHS than those from polygamous setting (OR: 0.672; 95%CI: 0.46-0.99; p = 0.046). Non-smokers were less likely to have poor MHS than their smoking counterparts (OR: 0.298; 95%CI: 0.12-0.73; p = 0.008). Students who rarely experienced being sent out of school were less likely to have poor MHS than those who had regular experience (OR: 0.315; 95%CI: 0.11-0.89; p = 0.029). Conclusions There was high prevalence of VRBs among students with majority of them having good MHS. Predictors of poor MHS were experience of VRBs, family setting, smoking status and experience of being sent out of school. Key messages Predictors of poor MHS among youth lacking in literature were found. Pathway to addressing these globally is shown below. International bodies’ support for restriction of cigarette’s use by < 18years. Funding of education in rural areas to reduce financial difficulty, parents modelling their children to correct attitude to violence and more studies unravelling mediating factors of polygamy on MHS.

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