Abstract
BackgroundIntimate partner violence (IPV) during pregnancy can have serious health consequences for mothers and the unborn child. Nevertheless, IPV is seldom addressed in the context of parent preparation.AimThis study aimed to map the prevalence, direction, and severity of IPV in a sample of expectant couples signing up for universally-offered parent preparation.MethodA total of 1726 Danish couples expecting their first child provided data on physical and psychological IPV by completing the Family Maltreatment measure during the second trimester of pregnancy.ResultsIn 18.5% of the couples, at least one partner reported psychological or physical IPV acts during the past year. In more than 8% of couples, one or both partners reported acts and impacts above the ICD-11 threshold for clinically-significant IPV (CS-IPV) during the past year (3.6% physical CS-IPV, 5.3% psychological CS-IPV, and 0.8% both physical and psychological CS-IPV). Among couples with physical IPV below the clinical threshold, pregnant-woman-to-partner (50%) and bidirectional (38.2%) IPV were more common than partner-to-pregnant-woman IPV (11.8%). Among couples with physical CS-IPV, pregnant-woman-to-partner (36.1%), partner-to-pregnant-women (29.1%) and bidirectional (34.4%) forms were equally common. Among couples with psychological IPV, pregnant-woman-to-partner (54.9%) and partner-to-pregnant-woman (39.6%) IPV were more common than bidirectional IPV (5.5%).DiscussionThe prevalence of violence was markedly higher in this study compared with previous reports from the Nordic region and highlights a previous oversight of a substantial and clinically significant level of pregnant-woman-to-partner IPV—as well as the reverse. Data from this study call for IPV to be addressed in universally offered parent preparation programs.
Highlights
Prevention of intimate partner violence (IPV) is an important public health goal across the globe [1]
Among couples with physical IPV below the clinical threshold, pregnant-woman-to-partner (50%) and bidirectional (38.2%) IPV were more common than partner-to-pregnant-woman IPV (11.8%)
This study investigated the one-year prevalence, type, severity, and direction of IPV in a sample of pregnant women and their partners who signed up for a universally offered parent preparation program
Summary
Prevention of intimate partner violence (IPV) is an important public health goal across the globe [1]. For both women and men, IPV victimization increases risk of physical injury, of poor health, depressive symptoms, substance abuse, developing a chronic disease, mental illness, or injury [2]. Studies on IPV toward women have found both increases and decreases of IPV during pregnancy with some indication that pregnancy may be a protective factor for physical IPV but a risk factor for psychological IPV [7]. The combination of increased psychosocial demand and parent motivation to protect and build a healthy family highlights this time period as meaningful for prevention
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