Anxiety and major depressive disorders were among the eight leading causes of disability developed as a result of intimate partner violence, while experiencing sexual violence as a child was associated with 14 health outcomes, including mental health and substance use disorders and chronic illnesses.

Intimate partner violence was linked to 145,000 deaths worldwide, mostly from homicide, suicide, and HIV/AIDS.

The researchers also estimated nearly 30,000 women to have been killed by their partners in 2023.

Exposure to sexual violence as a child was associated with 290,000 deaths worldwide in 2023, predominantly from suicide, HIV/AIDS, and type 2 diabetes, the study found.

Self-harm and schizophrenia were found to be the leading causes of disability among men -- and anxiety the leading cause among women -- due to sexual violence during childhood, especially in South Asia.

Addressing violence against women and children is not only a matter of human rights but also a crucial public health priority that can save millions of lives, improve mental health outcomes, and build resilient communities, the researchers said.

"These findings fundamentally challenge the persistent view of SVAC (sexual violence against children) and IPV as primarily social or criminal justice issues and underscore their status as major public health priorities," lead author Luisa Sorio Flor, assistant professor at the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), said.

The findings also underscore an urgent need for preventive measures such as strengthening legal frameworks, promoting gender equality, and expanding support services for survivors to reduce health toll caused due to violence, the team said.

The World Health Organization, in a global report published in November, estimated that over a fifth of females in India aged 15-49 were subjected to intimate partner violence in 2023, while nearly 30 per cent have been affected during their lifetime.

Worldwide, nearly one in three, or 840 million, have suffered partner or sexual violence during their lifetime -- a figure that has barely changed since 2000, it said.