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CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association... Nov 1993To determine the prevalence of physical abuse during late pregnancy and to investigate how abused and nonabused pregnant women differ in demographic characteristics,...
OBJECTIVES
To determine the prevalence of physical abuse during late pregnancy and to investigate how abused and nonabused pregnant women differ in demographic characteristics, health habits, psychologic distress and attitudes about fetal health.
DESIGN
Survey of women attending for prenatal health care or admitted to hospital for delivery. The information was obtained on one occasion from self-report questionnaires, completed with the option of anonymity.
SETTINGS
Community-based prenatal clinic, private obstetricians' offices in a large city, private family physicians' offices in a large city, family physicians' offices in a small town, and a university teaching hospital.
PATIENTS
English-speaking women at 20 weeks' or more gestation attending or admitted consecutively.
INTERVENTIONS
Three self-report questionnaires: the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), the Fetal Health Locus of Control (FHLC) and the study questionnaire.
RESULTS
Thirteen women (2.4%) refused to participate in the survey. Of the 548 women who completed the questionnaires 36 (6.6%) reported physical abuse during the current pregnancy and 60 (10.9%) before it. There were no significant differences in rates of abuse between settings. Of the women abused during the pregnancy 23 (63.9%) reported increased abuse during the pregnancy, and 28 (77.8%) remained with the abuser. Twenty-four pregnant women (66.7%) received medical treatment for abuse, but only 1 (2.8%) told her prenatal care provider of the abuse. Factor analysis revealed three factors associated with physical abuse in pregnancy: "social instability" (comprising low age, unmarried status, lower level of education, unemployment and unplanned pregnancy), "unhealthy lifestyle" (comprising poor diet, alcohol use, illicit drug use and emotional problems) and "physical health problems" (comprising health problems and prescription drug use). The GHQ scores showed that the abused women were significantly more emotionally distressed than the nonabused women (p < 0.001). The FHLC scores showed that the abused women believed they had little "internal control" over the health of their fetuses and that "chance" played the most important role in the outcome of their pregnancy (p < 0.001).
CONCLUSIONS
Abused pregnant patients are a frequently undetected high-risk group. Prenatal care should include a routine screening question about domestic violence, and identified patients should be appropriately counselled and referred.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Case-Control Studies; Factor Analysis, Statistical; Female; Health Behavior; Health Status; Humans; Middle Aged; Ontario; Physician's Role; Pregnancy; Prevalence; Risk Factors; Socioeconomic Factors; Spouse Abuse
PubMed: 8221480
DOI: No ID Found -
African Health Sciences Jun 2016In Nigeria, the relationship between spousal violence and pregnancy termination had not been adequately explored.
BACKGROUND
In Nigeria, the relationship between spousal violence and pregnancy termination had not been adequately explored.
OBJECTIVES
To assess the prevalence of spousal violence, and examine the relationship between spousal violence and pregnancy termination.
METHODS
Data on spousal violence among ever married women was extracted from the 2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey. The outcome variable is pregnancy termination. The explanatory variables were the type of spousal violence experienced by the women in the last 12 months preceding the survey. Descriptive statistical analysis and binary logistic regression were applied using stata version 12.
RESULTS
Results show that 13.8% of women had ever terminated pregnancy; 19.9% had ever experienced at least one type of spousal violence; and women who had ever terminated pregnancy had higher prevalence of all types of spousal violence. Women who had ever experienced spousal physical violence were 9% more likely to experience pregnancy termination (OR=1.09; CI: 1.03-2.86); and women who had ever experienced spousal emotional violence were 33% more likely to experience pregnancy termination (OR=1.33; CI: 0.97-1.95).
CONCLUSIONS
Spousal violence is significantly related to pregnancy termination. Improving women's sexual and reproductive health in the country requires fresh initiatives that address spousal violence to further reduce women's exposure to pregnancy termination.
Topics: Abortion, Induced; Adult; Databases, Factual; Developing Countries; Domestic Violence; Educational Status; Female; Humans; Logistic Models; Male; Marriage; Middle Aged; Needs Assessment; Nigeria; Pregnancy; Prevalence; Retrospective Studies; Risk Assessment; Socioeconomic Factors; Spouse Abuse; Young Adult
PubMed: 27605958
DOI: 10.4314/ahs.v16i2.11 -
Violence Against Women Jul 2008
Topics: Battered Women; Crime Victims; Female; Humans; Interpersonal Relations; Residence Characteristics; Sexual Partners; Socioeconomic Factors; Spouse Abuse; Women's Health
PubMed: 18655260
DOI: 10.1177/1077801208320448 -
Journal of Health, Population, and... Sep 2008Spousal violence against women is a serious public-health issue. Although there is a growing body of literature on this subject, there are still many unanswered... (Review)
Review
Spousal violence against women is a serious public-health issue. Although there is a growing body of literature on this subject, there are still many unanswered questions regarding the prevalence of this violence, the risk factors, the consequences, and how to address the issue. The purpose of this literature review is to organize and synthesize the empirical evidence on spousal violence against women in Bangladesh and to provide direction for both researchers and practitioners for future work in this area. The review suggests that spousal violence against women is high in Bangladesh. The list of correlates is long and inconclusive. Although there is evidence on adverse consequences of this violence on health of women and their children, more research is needed to explore the multifaceted consequences of violence for women, children, families, and communities. Action research is needed to develop and test preventive and curative interventions.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Bangladesh; Domestic Violence; Female; Homicide; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Public Health; Spouse Abuse; Suicide; Suicide Prevention
PubMed: 18831231
DOI: No ID Found -
Global Health Action 2014
Topics: Humans; Mental Health; Risk Factors; Spouse Abuse; Women's Health
PubMed: 25226422
DOI: 10.3402/gha.v7.25658 -
PloS One 2014Intimate partner violence (IPV) around the time of pregnancy is a widespread global health problem with many negative consequences. Nevertheless, a lot remains unclear... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Intimate partner violence (IPV) around the time of pregnancy is a widespread global health problem with many negative consequences. Nevertheless, a lot remains unclear about which interventions are effective and might be adopted in the perinatal care context.
OBJECTIVE
The objective is to provide a clear overview of the existing evidence on effectiveness of interventions for IPV around the time of pregnancy.
METHODS
Following databases PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL and the Cochrane Library were systematically searched and expanded by hand search. The search was limited to English peer-reviewed randomized controlled trials published from 2000 to 2013. This review includes all types of interventions aiming to reduce IPV around the time of pregnancy as a primary outcome, and as secondary outcomes to enhance physical and/or mental health, quality of life, safety behavior, help seeking behavior, and/or social support.
RESULTS
We found few randomized controlled trials evaluating interventions for IPV around the time of pregnancy. Moreover, the nine studies identified did not produce strong evidence that certain interventions are effective. Nonetheless, home visitation programs and some multifaceted counseling interventions did produce promising results. Five studies reported a statistically significant decrease in physical, sexual and/or psychological partner violence (odds ratios from 0.47 to 0.92). Limited evidence was found for improved mental health, less postnatal depression, improved quality of life, fewer subsequent miscarriages, and less low birth weight/prematurity. None of the studies reported any evidence of a negative or harmful effect of the interventions.
CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
Strong evidence of effective interventions for IPV during the perinatal period is lacking, but some interventions show promising results. Additional large-scale, high-quality research is essential to provide further evidence about the effect of certain interventions and clarify which interventions should be adopted in the perinatal care context.
Topics: Counseling; Female; Humans; Perinatal Care; Pregnancy; Pregnant Women; Quality of Life; Sexual Partners; Spouse Abuse
PubMed: 24482679
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0085084 -
Ciencia & Saude Coletiva Apr 2012Intimate partner violence against women is a common problem in all countries and generates a challenging agenda for the health sector. Exchanging experiences between... (Review)
Review
Intimate partner violence against women is a common problem in all countries and generates a challenging agenda for the health sector. Exchanging experiences between different countries, specifically strategies to respond to this problem, can constitute a tool for stimulating debate and promoting reflection. The scope of this article is to present and reflect on aspects of the Australian health sector response to intimate partner violence, and chart the scenario that surrounds this issue. We draw on a range of methods, combining a literature review and a dialogue with different stakeholders and site visits. We describe historical, contemporary and conceptual aspects of healthcare responses to intimate partner violence in Australia. Further we present some of the strategies, public policies and innovative projects that have been developed in this field in Australia. Some of the strategies include: screening vs. case-finding; primary care approaches for dealing with all family members; respect for diversity; and new randomized trials aiming for sustainable health system change for enhanced health professional care of people experiencing intimate partner violence. Despite the limitations of this approach to such a complex theme, we hope to stimulate thinking and discussion.
Topics: Australia; Battered Women; Delivery of Health Care; Female; Humans; Public Policy; Sexual Partners; Spouse Abuse
PubMed: 22534857
DOI: 10.1590/s1413-81232012000400025 -
Global Public Health Apr 2017Domestic violence (DV) is prevalent among women in India and has been associated with poor mental and physical health. We performed a systematic review of 137... (Review)
Review
Domestic violence (DV) is prevalent among women in India and has been associated with poor mental and physical health. We performed a systematic review of 137 quantitative studies published in the prior decade that directly evaluated the DV experiences of Indian women to summarise the breadth of recent work and identify gaps in the literature. Among studies surveying at least two forms of abuse, a median 41% of women reported experiencing DV during their lifetime and 30% in the past year. We noted substantial inter-study variance in DV prevalence estimates, attributable in part to different study populations and settings, but also to a lack of standardisation, validation, and cultural adaptation of DV survey instruments. There was paucity of studies evaluating the DV experiences of women over age 50, residing in live-in relationships, same-sex relationships, tribal villages, and of women from the northern regions of India. Additionally, our review highlighted a gap in research evaluating the impact of DV on physical health. We conclude with a research agenda calling for additional qualitative and longitudinal quantitative studies to explore the DV correlates proposed by this quantitative literature to inform the development of a culturally tailored DV scale and prevention strategies.
Topics: Domestic Violence; Female; Humans; India; Middle Aged; Prevalence; Spouse Abuse
PubMed: 26886155
DOI: 10.1080/17441692.2015.1119293 -
Child Abuse & Neglect Oct 2017The present study aimed to estimate the use of positive and negative parenting practices in Ukraine and explore relationships between parenting practices, intimate...
The present study aimed to estimate the use of positive and negative parenting practices in Ukraine and explore relationships between parenting practices, intimate partner violence (IPV), alcohol use, and sociodemographics. Parents of children (N=320) ages 9-16 from three Ukrainian regions answered questions from the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire (APQ), the Revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS-R), Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale (FACES), and the Alcohol Use Section of the Drinking and Drug History and Current Use Patterns questionnaire. Ukrainian parents who reported lower use of alcohol, balanced family functioning and lower intimate partner violence were more likely to use positive parenting and less likely to use negative parenting practices. Parents with lower education were more likely to use negative parenting practices. Furthermore, alcohol use, IPV, parent education and higher family income were significantly and indirectly related with positive and negative parenting scores. The model explained 61% of variance in the positive parenting, 67% in the negative parenting.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Alcoholism; Child; Child Behavior Disorders; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Humans; Internal-External Control; Male; Parenting; Socioeconomic Factors; Spouse Abuse; Statistics as Topic; Ukraine
PubMed: 28818732
DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2017.08.007 -
PloS One 2020Studies on wife abuse in Bangladesh predominantly include the mainstream Bengali population, although there are at least 27 ethnic minority communities including a few... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
Studies on wife abuse in Bangladesh predominantly include the mainstream Bengali population, although there are at least 27 ethnic minority communities including a few 'female-centered' matrilineal groups living in the country. This study explored ethnic differences in the attitudinal acceptance of wife abuse among matrilineal ethnic minority Garo, patrilineal ethnic minority Santal, and mainstream patriarchal Bengali communities in rural Bangladesh. Adopting a cross-sectional design, the study included 1,929 women and men randomly selected from 24 Garo, Santal, and Bengali villages. Multivariate Poisson regression was performed to predict the number of contextual events, where the respondents attitudinally endorsed wife abuse. Of the sample, 33.2% were from Garo, 33.2% from Santal, and 33.6% from the Bengali communities. The acceptance of wife abuse was high in the sample; specifically, 34.1% of the respondents accepted physical wife abuse, 67.5% accepted emotional abuse, and 71.6% accepted any abuse (either physical or emotional) at least on one contextual reason provided in a 10-item scale. The mean for accepting any abuse was 3.0 (SD = 2.8), emotional abuse 2.3 (SD = 2.2), and physical abuse 0.8 (SD = 1.4). The study showed that the rates of accepting any abuse and physical abuse were respectively 16% and 56% lower among Garo as well as 14% and 33% lower among Santal than that of the Bengali community. Data also revealed that individual level factors like younger age, higher education, prestigious occupation as well as family level factors such as higher income, female mobility, and female family authority were inversely associated with the acceptance of wife abuse in the sample. It appears that the gender regime of a society has a great influence on the attitudes toward wife abuse. We argue that a comprehensive socio-cultural transformation of the patriarchal societies into a gender equal order is imperative for the prevention of widespread wife abuse in the country.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Bangladesh; Battered Women; Cross-Sectional Studies; Cultural Characteristics; Ethnicity; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Minority Groups; Rural Population; Socioeconomic Factors; Spouse Abuse; Surveys and Questionnaires; Young Adult
PubMed: 32722707
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0236733