Women's Experiences of Domestic Violence during Pregnancy: A Qualitative Research in Greece.

Evangelia Antoniou

doi:10.3390/ijerph17197069

Abstract

This qualitative research is the second part of a quantitative research that aims at recording the phenomenon of violence in pregnancy. The first part was carried out during August and September 2009 (N = 546). It was found out that the rate partner’s violence was 6%, while for 3.4% of the pregnant women, abuse started after the pregnancy. In the second part of this research, the semi-structured interview was used to investigate the way pregnant women experience violence. The sample comprised seven women abused by their partner (Ν = 7) at the women’s shelters of “Mitera” Babies’ Center and the National Social Solidarity Center between September 2010 and December 2011 and who accepted to participate in the research. The targets of the research were the investigation of the risk factors for the manifestation of violence, the profile of the victim and the perpetrator, the consequences of abuse for the woman, her reproductive health and the fetus. The majority of the abused pregnant women were foreigners and only two were Greek. The latter had experienced severe traumas (physical and psychological) since their childhood. Violence in their lives is the main characteristic of the foreign women seeking a better life in Greece, too. Alcohol use or abuse by the partners, poor socioeconomic background of the mothers and their partners, and pregnancy per se are the main risk factors of the violence against women in this period of their lives. Violence resulted in miscarriage in one case, while abortion was the alternative chosen by another as a solution to social exclusion and possible domestic violence. Anxiety and despair were the main psychological consequences. The small number of women included in the collection of qualitative data is a limitation for the research and decreases the reliability index of its results.

Highlights

According to UN declaration, domestic violence is “the violence occurring in the family or domestic unit, including, inter alia, physical and mental aggression, emotional and psychological abuse, rape and sexual abuse, incest, rape between spouses, regular or occasional partners and cohabitants, crimes committed in the name of honour, female genital and sexual mutilation and other traditional practices harmful to women, such as forced marriages” [1].A survey [2] was carried out in 2003 with the aim to record the nature and magnitude of domestic violence in Greece
The thematic sessions were decided based on the investigation of specific factors relating to the abuse start, its consequences in terms of the partner, children and, in general, the family, its consequences on the quality of reproductive health and the woman’s professional and social life, the degree of using health and welfare services and, the pregnant woman’s ideas about the role of the genders and ways to deal with violence
The results show that domestic violence against pregnant women is significantly correlated to the poor socioeconomic and educational background of the women and their partners

Summary

Introduction

According to UN declaration, domestic violence is “the violence occurring in the family or domestic unit, including, inter alia, physical and mental aggression, emotional and psychological abuse, rape and sexual abuse, incest, rape between spouses, regular or occasional partners and cohabitants, crimes committed in the name of honour, female genital and sexual mutilation and other traditional practices harmful to women, such as forced marriages” [1].A survey [2] was carried out in 2003 with the aim to record the nature and magnitude of domestic violence in Greece. In a sample of 1200 women, aged 18–60, 61.9% of women living in semi-urban centers stated that they frequently experience verbal or psychological abuse by their husband/partner. The percentage was slightly decreased for women living in urban centers and agricultural areas. 5.3% of the women in semi-urban centers, 3.7% in urban and 3% in agricultural areas stated that they have been victims of physical violence. 3.3–4% of women, depending on the area of living, stated that they are coerced to have sexual intercourse. These results constituted the leverage for political, social and legislative measures to deal with violence against women in the

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