Two sides of a coin: Perpetrators and survivors perspectives on the triad of alcohol, intimate partner violence and mental health in South India

• Alcohol consumption, partner violence, and mental health are intricately related.
• Culturally sanctioned gender norms influenced this interaction.
• Anxiety and depressive symptoms were reported by women survivors of partner violence.
• Emotional–behavioural and academic difficulties were evident in their children.
• Perpetrators’ and survivors’ perspective enriched our findings.

The present study explored the intersection among alcohol consumption, gender roles, intimate partner violence (IPV) and mental health from the perspective of heavy drinking men who also perpetrate IPV (perpetrators) and their spouses (survivors). Interpretive phenomenological approach was used, and in-depth interviews were conducted with adult married heavy drinking men who reported to have perpetrated IPV (N = 10) and their spouses (N = 10). These interviews were audio-recorded, and salient themes were generated using the NVivo software. Findings indicated a deeply embedded association among alcohol consumption, IPV, and mental health, with culturally sanctioned gender norms strongly contributing to this association. There was evidence for anxiety and depression in the survivors and emotional–behavioural and academic difficulties in their children. The study provides valuable insight into the intersecting problems of alcohol and IPV, which independently and together signify an emergent public health problem that can have immense ramifications on mental health of individuals and families.