Abstract
BackgroundDomestic violence during pregnancy is not only a severe public health issue that jeopardizes maternal and foetal health but also violates human rights. The aim was to explore the prevalence and incidence of domestic violence among pregnant women, in the southwestern region of Scania in Sweden, and their experience of a history of violence. In addition, to explore the association between domestic violence during pregnancy and possible risk factors.MethodsThis is a longitudinal cohort-study including pregnant women ≥18 years of age, registered at antenatal care when pregnant. A cohort of 1939 pregnant women answered Questionnaire I (QI) in gestational week 13 (mean 12.8 week, SD 5.11). Response rate of Questionnaire II (QII) in gestation week 34 (mean 33.9 week, SD 2.2) was 78.8 % (n = 1527). Statistical analysis was descriptive statistics, logistic regression and multiple regression with Odds ratios (OR) and 95 % confidence intervals (95 % CI).ResultsBoth QI and QII were completed by 77.8 % (n = 1509) of the women and 44.3 % (n = 668) reported a lifetime experience of abuse irrespective of type, severity or perpetrator. Also, 5.1 % (n = 77) reported some experience of abuse past year. Prevalence of domestic violence during pregnancy was 2.0 % (n = 29) and the incidence was 7.3 new cases per 1000 women. The strongest risk factor for domestic violence, during early and late pregnancy, was history of violence whereby all women who disclosed exposure had also reported history of violence (p < 0.001). To be single/living apart gave 8.4 times more risk associated with domestic violence during pregnancy (AOR 8.4; 95 % CI: 2.2–32.6). Having several symptoms of depression and lack of sleep gave 3.8 times more risk respectively (AOR 3.8; 95 % CI: 1.1–13.6) and (AOR 3.8; 95 % CI 1.1–12.9).ConclusionsPregnant women with a history of violence as well as being single/living apart and/or having several symptoms of depression during pregnancy should be alerts for clinical working midwives and obstetricians. Further, this is important knowledge for health care providers to develop or upgrade guidelines and plans of action for pregnant women exposed to violence.
Highlights
Domestic violence during pregnancy is a severe public health issue that jeopardizes maternal and foetal health and violates human rights
The response rate for Questionnaire II (QII) was 78.8 % (n = 1527) of the total cohort (n = 1939) of women who were recruited in early pregnancy during gestational week 13 and had completed Questionnaire I (QI)
QII was answered during late pregnancy or during gestational week 34
Summary
Domestic violence during pregnancy is a severe public health issue that jeopardizes maternal and foetal health and violates human rights. The aim was to explore the prevalence and incidence of domestic violence among pregnant women, in the southwestern region of Scania in Sweden, and their experience of a history of violence. To explore the association between domestic violence during pregnancy and possible risk factors. Domestic violence (DV) during pregnancy is not a severe public health issue that jeopardizes maternal and foetal health, [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8] and a violation human rights [6] and according to the Swedish penal code a criminal act [9]. In Sweden the prevalence of abuse during pregnancy has previously been reported as 1.0 % DV during early pregnancy (mean 12.8 week, SD 5.11) [11], 1.3 % perpetrated by a close acquaintance or relative during or shortly after pregnancy [12], and 4.3–14.5 %, depending on the severity of the violence, was perpetrated by a current or ex-partner [13]
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