Intimate partner violence and severe maternal morbidity among pregnant and postpartum women in São Paulo, Brazil

Abstract

Intimate partner violence and severe maternal morbidity among pregnant and postpartum women in São Paulo, Brazil J Hum Growth Dev. 2018; 28(2) Open acess AbstractThis article investigates the association between intimate partner violence (IPV) during a current pregnancy and severe maternal morbidity severe maternal morbidity among pregnant and postpartum women cared for in public maternity centers located in São Paulo, Brazil. A total of 109 women who developed Severe maternal morbidity were selected according to criteria adopted by the World Health Organization (WHO). Another 337 women who did not experience any clinical, laboratory or management intercurrences during a current pregnancy and postpartum were selected for the control group. The participants were submitted to a retrospective investigation of IPV using an instrument adapted from the WHO Multi-country Study on Women's Health and Domestic Violence against Women, applied between November 2010 and June 2011. The relationship between the response variable severe maternal morbidity and the exposure variable (IPV) adjusted for the remaining independent variables was assessed through proportions, a chisquare test, a Fisher's exact test, and multiple logistic regression. A prevalence of 12.6% (CI:9.5-15.7) for psychological violence, 7.6% (CI:5.1-10.1) for physical violence and 1.6% (CI:0.4-2.8) for sexual violence were observed during a current pregnancy in both the case and control groups. Although no statistical significance was found between IPV exposure during a current pregnancy and the occurrence of Severe maternal morbidity (p>0.264), we identified factors associated with unfavorable socio-demographic and reproductive conditions in both the women exposed to IPV and those who developed Severe maternal morbidity. Systematic monitoring of Severe maternal morbidity and routine screening of IPV among pregnant women are important measures to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality and to qualify reproductive health care.Keywords: intimate partner violence, battered women, severe acute maternal morbidity, pregnancy complications, maternal health.

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