The relationship between intimate partner violence reported at the first antenatal booking visit and obstetric and perinatal outcomes in an ethnically diverse group of Australian pregnant women: a population-based study over 10 years

Abstract

ObjectivesIntimate partner violence (IPV) is a global health issue affecting mainly women and is known to escalate during pregnancy and impact negatively on obstetric and perinatal outcomes. The aim of this study is to determine the incidence of IPV in a pregnant multicultural population and to determine the relationship between IPV reported at booking interview and maternal and perinatal outcomes.DesignThis is a retrospective population-based data study. We analysed routinely collected data (2006–2016) from the ObstetriX system on a cohort of pregnant women.Setting and participants33 542 women giving birth in a major health facility in Western Sydney.Primary outcomesIncidence of IPV, association with IPV and other psychosocial variables and maternal and perinatal outcomes.Result4.3% of pregnant women reported a history of IPV when asked during the routine psychosocial assessment. Fifty-four per cent were not born in Australia, and this had increased significantly over the decade. Women born in New Zealand (7.2%) and Sudan (9.1%) were most likely to report IPV at the antenatal booking visit, with women from China and India least likely to report IPV. Women who reported IPV were more likely to report additional psychosocial concerns including Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale scores > 13 (7.6%), thoughts of self-harm (2.4%), childhood abuse (23.6%), and a history of anxiety and depression (34.2%). Women who reported IPV were more likely to be Australian born, smoke and be multiparous and to have been admitted for threatened preterm labour (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) 1.8, 95% CI 1.28 to 2.39).ConclusionsA report of IPV at the first antenatal booking visit is associated with a higher level of reporting on all psychosocial risks, higher antenatal admissions, especially for threatened preterm labour. More research is needed regarding the effectiveness of current IPV screening for women from other countries.

Maternal exposure to violence and offspring neurodevelopment: A systematic review

“…A small body of research has examined either domestic violence (DV) or intimate personal violence (IPV) during pregnancy in relation to neurodevelopmental outcomes . Intimate partner or domestic violence is commonplace globally, an exposure more common than some other maternal health conditions more routinely checked for in prenatal screenings and is highly prevalent across both developed and developing countries, across ethnic groups and thought to be particularly common during pregnancy . There is some evidence that ethnicity may play a role in how the placenta reacts to stress and therefore how this affects the developing fetus; for example, stress‐related expression of the placental genes that regulate cortisol in the placenta was found in Caucasian women only .…”

“…Several studies identify characteristics of women at risk for IPV or DV in developed countries. For example, among a population of 33 000 ethnically diverse pregnant women in Australia, high rates of DV were found for mothers having subsequent pregnancies and those with a history of childhood abuse . Childhood abuse has emerged as a risk factor in other studies and has been determined to be a predictor of neurodevelopmental difficulties in offspring …”

Intimate partner violence against pregnant women in East Gojjam Zone, Ethiopia

“…Violence against pregnant women results in fatal and non-fatal health outcomes for the mother and her baby [8,9]. The adverse health outcomes of IPV during pregnancy is higher in women with low socio economic status [9].…”

Is left-behind status related to differences in sexual health of Armenian mothers? Evidence from the Demographic and Health Survey in 2010 and 2015

“…Mothers often will have an even higher economic dependence on their male partner's as they have to provide for their children as well as themselves. This situation forces them to stay longer with their violent male partners for the sake of their offspring [14], which increases the severity of intimate partner violence [15] as well as the risk of acquiring an STI, including HIV [16].…”