Domestic violence against women during pregnancy

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of domestic violence (DV) against women during pregnancy and to identify risk factors for DV and effects on women's mental health. METHODS: Pregnant women from an OB-GYN outpatient clinic at a hospital in an urban area were recruited consecutively from February to May 2003. Women who agreed to participate in the research answered three self-administered questionnaires: the GHQ30, the Rosenberg Self Esteem, and one for demographic characteristics at 14 gestational weeks. In order to determine DV prevalence rate during pregnancy, the Japanese version of the Index of Spouse Abuse (ISA) for measuring severity of DV was provided to those women over 35 gestational weeks. RESULTS: Two hundred seventy nine women answered all questionnaires. 15 of the 279 respondents (5.4%) were DV positive during pregnancy based on the Japanese version of the ISA. Nine had experienced physical violence, and twelve had non-physical violence Compared with women who had not experienced DV during pregnancy, DV positive pregnant women were more likely to be multipara (OR = 3.9) and to have experienced physical violence in the past from a different partner (OR = 9.1). Moreover, general illness (OR = 3.8), sleep disturbance (OR = 5.8), anxiety (OR = 6.3), depression (OR = 11.5) and low self-esteem (P = 0.02) were identified as effects of DV on women's mental health. CONCLUSION: Some 5.4% of women in Japan, approximately 1 in every 20, may experience DV during pregnancy. This is associated with parity and a past history of DV as demographic characteristics, and has an adverse impact on mental health, especially depression. Development of a support system for screening, intervention and referral for DV sufferers is urgently needed.