Violence before pregnancy and the risk of violence during pregnancy
-
Vislava Globevnik Velikonja
Abstract
Objective:
To investigate the relationships among different forms of violence before and during pregnancy.
Material and methods:
An anonymous questionnaire (adapted NorAQ) was given to 1269 women after childbirth.
Results:
The response rate was 80% (n=1018). Different forms of violence were experienced by 46.9% of the women; 9.2% reported violence in pregnancy. Suffering from the consequences of violence was reported by 43.8% of the women; sexual (76.6%) and psychological (54.1%) ranked the highest. Past experience of any form of violence increased the risk of violence in pregnancy, violences experienced in adulthood even more than that in childhood [odds ratio (OR) 4.2, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.7–6.5 vs. OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.2–2.9]. The onset of violence during pregnancy is rare. Violence was most frequently exerted by the intimate partner.
Conclusion:
Healthcare systems have access to most women of reproductive age, thus they have the unique opportunity to identify and adequately manage violence against women and its consequences.
Author’s statement
Conflict of interest: Authors state no conflict of interest.
Material and methods: Informed consent: Informed consent has been obtained from all individuals included in this study.
Ethical approval: The research related to human subject use has complied with all the relevant national regulations, and institutional policies, and is in accordance with the tenets of the Helsinki Declaration, and has been approved by the authors’ institutional review board or equivalent committee.
References
[1] Amaro H, Fried LE, Cabral H, Zuckerman B. Violence during pregnancy and substance use. Am J Public Health. 1990;80:575–9.10.2105/AJPH.80.5.575Search in Google Scholar
[2] Mezey GC, Bewley S. Domestic violence and pregnancy. Risk is greatest after delivery. Br Med J.1997;314:1295.10.1136/bmj.314.7090.1295Search in Google Scholar
[3] Widding Hedin L, Janson PO. Domestic violence during pregnancy. The prevalence of physical injuries, substance use, abortions and miscarriages. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 2000;79:625–630.10.1080/j.1600-0412.2000.079008625.xSearch in Google Scholar
[4] Bacchus L, Mezey G, Bewley S. Domestic violence: prevalence in pregnant women and associations with physical and psychological health. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2004;113:6–11.10.1016/S0301-2115(03)00326-9Search in Google Scholar
[5] Intimate partner violence. Committee opinion No 518. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Obstet Gynecol. 2012;119–412.10.1097/AOG.0b013e318249ff74Search in Google Scholar PubMed
[6] Donovan BM, Spracklen CN, Schweizer ML, Ryckman KK, Saftlas AF. Intimate partner violence during pregnancy and the risk for adverse infant outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Obstet Gynaecol. 2016;123:1289–99.10.1111/1471-0528.13928Search in Google Scholar PubMed
[7] Brüggemann AJ, Wijma B, Swahnberg K. Abuse in health care: a concept analysis. Scand J Caring Sci. 2012;26:123–32.10.1111/j.1471-6712.2011.00918.xSearch in Google Scholar PubMed
[8] Leskošek V. The health condition of female victims of violence. Zdravstveno varstvo 2013;52:148–56.10.2478/sjph-2013-0016Search in Google Scholar
[9] HOPE – Giving hope to victims of abuse through vocational guidance and counseling. National Report Slovenia. www.hopeguidance.eu/diss_files/National%20report%20SI.pdf.Search in Google Scholar
[10] Swahnberg IM, Wijma B. The NorVold Abuse Questionnaire (NorAQ): validation of new measures of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, and abuse in the health care system among women. Eur J Public Health. 2003;13:361–6.10.1093/eurpub/13.4.361Search in Google Scholar PubMed
[11] Brownridge DA, Taillieu TL, Tyler KA, Tiwari A, Ko Ling Chan, Santos SC. Pregnancy and intimate partner violence: risk factors, severity and health effects. Violence Against Women. 2011;17:858–81.10.1177/1077801211412547Search in Google Scholar PubMed
[12] McFarlane J, Parker B, Soeken K, Bullock L. Assessing for abuse during pregnancy. Severity and frequency of injuries and associated entry into prenatal care. J Am Med Assoc. 1992;267:3176–8.10.1001/jama.1992.03480230068030Search in Google Scholar
[13] Finnbogadóttir H, Dykes AK. Increasing prevalence and incidence of domestic violence during the pregnancy and one and a half year postpartum, as well as risk factors: a longitudinal cohort study in Southern Sweden. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2016;16:327.10.1186/s12884-016-1122-6Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central
[14] Yuan NP, Koss MP, Stone M. The psychological consequences of sexual trauma. Harrisburg, PA: VAWnet, A project of the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence/Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence; 2006. 1–10. Retrieved 31.3.2015, from htpp://www.vawnet.orgSearch in Google Scholar
[15] Swahnberg K, Schei B, Hilden M, Halmesmäki E, Sidenius K, Steingrimsdottir T, Wijma B. Patients’ experiences of abuse in health care: a Nordic study on prevalence and associated factors in gynecological patients. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 2007;86:349–56.10.1080/00016340601185368Search in Google Scholar PubMed
[16] Brüggemann AJ, Swahnberg K, Wijma B. A first online intervention to increase patients’ perceived ability to act in situations of abuse in health care: reports of a Swedish pre-post study. BMC Med Ethics. 2015;16:35.10.1186/s12910-015-0027-7Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central
©2018 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Review article
- The assessment of labor: a brief history
- Original articles – Obstetrics
- The combined exposure to intra-amniotic inflammation and neonatal respiratory distress syndrome increases the risk of intraventricular hemorrhage in preterm neonates
- Uterine artery Doppler pulsatility index at 11–38 weeks in ICSI pregnancies with egg donation
- Violence before pregnancy and the risk of violence during pregnancy
- Cancer during pregnancy – clinical characteristics, treatment outcomes and prognosis for mothers and infants
- The effect of attending a prenatal childbirth preparedness course on labor duration and outcomes
- Serum fibrinogen levels could be an index of successful use of balloon tamponade in postpartum hemorrhage
- Impact factors on cervical dilation rates in the first stage of labor
- Feasibility and acceptability of text messaging to support antenatal healthcare in Iraqi pregnant women: a pilot study
- Clinical characteristics and outcome of twin pregnancies complicated by single intrauterine death
- Utility of routine urine CMV PCR and total serum IgM testing of small for gestational age infants: a single center review
- The association between pre-pregnancy obesity and screening results of depression for all trimesters of pregnancy, postpartum and 1 year after birth: a cohort study
- Original articles – Fetus
- Causes of intrauterine fetal death are changing in recent years
- Original articles – Newborn
- Proactive approach at the limits of viability improves the short-term outcome of neonates born after 23 weeks’ gestation
- Letter to the Editor
- Exact days of gestation necessary for infants at borderline viability: reply to Proactive approach at the limits of viability improves the short-term outcome of neonates born after 23weeks’ gestation. P. Šimják, J. Smíšek, M. Koucký, T. Lamberská, R. Plavka and Z. Hájek. J Perinat Med 2017
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Review article
- The assessment of labor: a brief history
- Original articles – Obstetrics
- The combined exposure to intra-amniotic inflammation and neonatal respiratory distress syndrome increases the risk of intraventricular hemorrhage in preterm neonates
- Uterine artery Doppler pulsatility index at 11–38 weeks in ICSI pregnancies with egg donation
- Violence before pregnancy and the risk of violence during pregnancy
- Cancer during pregnancy – clinical characteristics, treatment outcomes and prognosis for mothers and infants
- The effect of attending a prenatal childbirth preparedness course on labor duration and outcomes
- Serum fibrinogen levels could be an index of successful use of balloon tamponade in postpartum hemorrhage
- Impact factors on cervical dilation rates in the first stage of labor
- Feasibility and acceptability of text messaging to support antenatal healthcare in Iraqi pregnant women: a pilot study
- Clinical characteristics and outcome of twin pregnancies complicated by single intrauterine death
- Utility of routine urine CMV PCR and total serum IgM testing of small for gestational age infants: a single center review
- The association between pre-pregnancy obesity and screening results of depression for all trimesters of pregnancy, postpartum and 1 year after birth: a cohort study
- Original articles – Fetus
- Causes of intrauterine fetal death are changing in recent years
- Original articles – Newborn
- Proactive approach at the limits of viability improves the short-term outcome of neonates born after 23 weeks’ gestation
- Letter to the Editor
- Exact days of gestation necessary for infants at borderline viability: reply to Proactive approach at the limits of viability improves the short-term outcome of neonates born after 23weeks’ gestation. P. Šimják, J. Smíšek, M. Koucký, T. Lamberská, R. Plavka and Z. Hájek. J Perinat Med 2017
