Violence and Women's Psychological Distress After Birth: An Exploratory Study in Italy

Abstract

Our aim in conducting this study was to analyze the relationships between violence and maternal psychological distress 8 months after a birth, taking into account other important psychosocial factors, known to be associated both with violence and with new mothers' mental health. A total of 352 women responded to a questionnaire after the birth at a maternity hospital in northern Italy, and 292 also participated in a telephone interview 8 months later. We evaluated psychological distress with the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), and partner and family violence with a 28-item scale. Eight months postpartum, 5% of women showed high psychological distress; 10% were currently experiencing violence from the partner or another family member. After adjustment for covariates, the odds ratio for depressive symptoms was 13.74 for women experiencing violence. We believe that these results provide support for the important role of violence in postpartum maternal psychological distress.In this article we examine the contributions of violence and other psychosocial factors to women's postpartum mental health. Our aim was to analyze the relationships between violence and maternal psychological distress 8 months after a birth, taking into account other important psychosocial factors known to be associated both with violence and with new mothers' mental health. Violence experienced by women during the postpartum period most certainly contributes to maternal distress and may lead to depression; moreover, domestic violence and maternal depression both represent serious risk factors for child development.

Linkage to HIV care, postpartum depression, and HIV-related stigma in newly diagnosed pregnant women living with HIV in Kenya: a longitudinal observational study

“…Intimate partner violence has consistently been shown to be related to adverse mental health outcomes in women [ 76 ], and has been shown to be an important predictor of perinatal depression [ 72 ]. Having an infant with health problems has also been found to be an important predictor in some settings [ 25 , 77 , 78 ]. Number of births was found to be an important predictor of postpartum depression in HIV-infected women in Zimbabwe [ 17 ], although in the opposite direction found in the current study.…”

Violence in the Lives of Women in Italy Who Have an Elective Abortion

“…Romito et al (Romito, Molzan Turan, Neilands, Lucchetta, Pomicino & Scrimin, 2009) found that family violence was even more strongly associated with postpartum depression than partner violence. John et al (John, Johnson, Kukreja, Found & Lindow, 2004), in Great Britain, inquiring about violence among gynecology patients, found that the father ranked high in the list of perpetrators, higher than the husband (the most frequent perpetrators being ex husbands or ex boyfriends).…”

“…Another shortcoming is that most studies include only physical and sexual IPV, while psychological violence against women is frequent and may be strongly associated with adverse health outcomes (Coker, Davis & Arias, 2002). Additionally, usually only violence by a partner (IPV) is considered, while the perpetrators of violence against women during pregnancy and postpartum may be also other relatives (Gielen, O'Campo, Faden, Kass & Xue, 1994; Romito, Molzan Turan, Neilands, Lucchetta, Pomicino & Scrimin, 2009). …”

Effect of intimate partner violence on postpartum women's health in northeastern Thailand

“…Similarly, another study found that women who experienced both physical and sexual IPV had an increased prevalence of depression, physical symptoms, and lower functional health (Short Form 36‐Item Health Survey [SF‐36]), scores and were almost twice as likely to report fair or poor health (Bonomi et al ., 2006). A study conducted by Romito et al . (2009) found that at 8 months' postpartum, 5% of abused women showed high psychological distress.…”

“…Among the 52 abused women, 32 (61%) had been hit by their partner once, 12 (23%) twice, and eight women (15%) three or more times. Similarly, Romito et al (2009) investigated violence and maternal psychological distress at 8 months' postpartum among 292 Italian women, and found that 15 (5%) experienced IPV since the birth. In six cases, violence included threats, or physical or sexual aggression, whereas in nine cases, it was exclusively psychological.…”