Intimate Partner Violence During Pregnancy


      Intimate partner violence [IPV] is actual or threatened physical or sexual violence or psychological and emotional abuse directed toward a spouse, ex-spouse, current or former boyfriend or girlfriend, or current or former dating partner. Intimate partners may be heterosexual or of the same sex. Some of the common terms used to describe intimate partner violence are domestic abuse, spouse abuse, domestic violence, courtship violence, battering, marital rape, and date rape (Saltzman et al. 1999). IPV affects approximately 1.5 million women each year, and it affects approximately 324, 000 pregnant women annually (Gazmarian et al, 2000). This may be more common, because many victims do not report these crimes. Victims of violence come from all age groups, all religion, all ethnic/racial group, all socioeconomic classes, all educational backgrounds, and all sexual orientations, but there are some factors that make a women more susceptible to IPV.


RISK FACTORS
Gestational diabetes
Neural tube defects
Preeclampsia
Young age/adolescents
Unintended pregnancies
STDs, like HIV
Alcohol/drug use
Lack of social supports
Single martial status
(Haggerty et al., 2001)


Types of Threats Experienced by Pregnant Women

Symbolic Violence
*Kicked a wall, door or furniture
*Threw, smashed, or broke an object
*Drove dangerously with her in the car
*Threw an onject at her

Threats of Mild Violence
*Shook a finger at her
*Made threatneing gestures or faces at her
*Shook a fist at her
*Acted like bully towards her
Prevalence (%)
54
46
25
31


51
64
39
64

Threats of Moderate Violence
*Destroyed something belonging to her
*Threatened to damage things she cares about
*Threatened to destroy property
*Threatened someone she cares about

Threats of Serious Violence
*Threatened to hurt her
*Threatened to kill himself
*Threatened to kill her
*Threatened her with a weapon
*Threatend her with a clublike object
*Acted like he wanted to kill her
*Threatened her with a knife or gun
(Haggerty et al., 2001)


53
38
33
30


56
26
38
28
18
48
26



Types of Violence Experienced by Pregnant Women

Mild Violence
*Held her down, pinning her in place
*Pushed or shoved her
*Grabbed her suddenly or forcefully
*Shook or roughly handled her

Minor Violence
*Scratched her
*Pulled her hair
*Twisted her arm
*Spanked her
*Bit her

Moderate Violence
*Slapped her with the palm of his hand
*Slapped her with the back of his hand
*Slapped her around the face and head
Prevalence (%)
49
71
56
57


26
41
28
12
15


41
18
41

Serious Violence
*Hit her with an object
*Punched her
*Kicked her
*Stomped on her
*Choked her
*Burned her with something
*Used a clublike object on her
*Beat her up
*Used a knife on her

Sexual Violence
*Demanded sex whether she wanted to or not
*Made her have oral sex against her will
*Made her have intercourse against her will
*Physcially forced her to have sex
*Made her have anal sex against her will
*Used an object on her in a sexual way


30
39
25
20
36
3
18
39
7


28
10
23
21
5
3
(Haggerty et al., 2001)



References:

Gazmararian J. A., Petersen R., Spitz A. M., Goodwin M. M., Saltzman L. E. & Marks J. S. (2000). Violence and reproductive health: Current knowledge and future research directions. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 4(2), 79�84.

Saltzman L. E., Fanslow J. L., McMahon P. M. & Shelley G. A. (1999). Intimate partner violence surveillance: Uniform definitions and recommended data elements. Atlanta: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.

Haggerty, L. A., Kelly, U., Hawkins, J., Pearce, C. & Kearney, M. H. (2001). Pregnant women's perception of abuse. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic and Neonatal Nursing, 30(2), 283-290.

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Compiled by Cindy Lam 1
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