Abstract
ABSTRACTOBJECTIVE To estimate differential associations between the exposure to violence in the family of origin and victimization and perpetration of intimate partner violence in pregnancy.METHODS A nested case-control study was carried out within a cohort study with 1,120 pregnant women aged 18–49 years old, who were registered in the Family Health Strategy of the city of Recife, State of Pernambuco, Brazil, between 2005 and 2006. The cases were the 233 women who reported intimate partner violence in pregnancy and the controls were the 499 women who did not report it. Partner violence in pregnancy and previous experiences of violence committed by parents or other family members were assessed with a standardized questionnaire. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were modeled to identify differential associations between the exposure to violence in the family of origin and victimization and perpetration of intimate partner violence in pregnancy.RESULTS Having seen the mother suffer intimate partner violence was associated with physical violence in childhood (OR = 2.62; 95%CI 1.89–3.63) and in adolescence (OR = 1.47; 95%CI 1.01–2.13), sexual violence in childhood (OR = 3.28; 95%CI 1.68–6.38) and intimate partner violence during pregnancy (OR = 1.47; 95% CI 1.01 – 2.12). The intimate partner violence during pregnancy was frequent in women who reported more episodes of physical violence in childhood (OR = 2.08; 95%CI 1.43–3.02) and adolescence (OR = 1.63; 95%CI 1.07–2.47), who suffered sexual violence in childhood (OR = 3.92; 95%CI 1.86–8.27), and who perpetrated violence against the partner (OR = 8.67; 95%CI 4.57–16.45).CONCLUSIONS Experiences of violence committed by parents or other family members emerge as strong risk factors for intimate partner violence in pregnancy. Identifying and understanding protective and risk factors for the emergence of intimate partner violence in pregnancy and its maintenance may help policymakers and health service managers to develop intervention strategies.
Highlights
Violence inside the family context has been presented as a phenomenon with high frequencies[2,28] and passed down through the generations[33]
Having seen the mother suffer intimate partner violence was associated with physical violence in childhood (OR = 2.62; 95%CI 1.89–3.63) and in adolescence (OR = 1.47; 95%CI 1.01–2.13), sexual violence in childhood (OR = 3.28; 95%CI 1.68–6.38) and intimate partner violence during pregnancy (OR = 1.47; 95% CI 1.01 – 2.12)
The intimate partner violence during pregnancy was frequent in women who reported more episodes of physical violence in childhood (OR = 2.08; 95%CI 1.43–3.02) and adolescence (OR = 1.63; 95%CI 1.07–2.47), who suffered sexual violence in childhood (OR = 3.92; 95%CI 1.86–8.27), and who perpetrated violence against the partner (OR = 8.67; 95%CI 4.57–16.45)
Summary
Violence inside the family context has been presented as a phenomenon with high frequencies[2,28] and passed down through the generations[33]. Intimate partner violence during pregnancy (IPVP) is a social and public health problem, both in its magnitude and consequences, with short[21] and long-term outcomes for women and children[23]. In a review of studies conducted in developed and developing countries, Taillieu and Brownridge[33] have identified variations in the prevalence of IPVP. Psychological violence ranged between 1.5% and 43.2%, physical violence between 0.9% and 30%, and sexual violence between 1% and 3.9%. Han and Stewart[19] have found prevalence rates of IPVP in Latin America and the Caribbean, which ranged from 3% to 34.5% for sexual violence, 2.5% to 38.7% for physical violence, and 13% to 44% for psychological violence. In Brazil, physical or sexual violence has been found in 6.5% of pregnant women[5], severe physical violence in 18.9%25 of them, and psychological violence ranged from 19.1%5 to 41.6%29
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