Factors related to parenting confidence among pregnant women experiencing intimate partner violence.

OBJECTIVE

Intimate partner violence (IPV) during pregnancy is associated with perinatal health problems and postpartum psychopathology. Prenatal IPV is also detrimental to a mother's perceptions of her unborn child, which may impact early parenting skills and contribute to negative effects on infant development. This study explored factors associated with parenting confidence among IPV-exposed pregnant women.

METHOD: Participants included 137 women who experienced IPV during pregnancy (Mage = 27.3 years; 66.9% African American/Black). Hierarchical linear regression modeling was used to examine factors that may be related to parenting confidence, with number of children and number of pregnancy complications entered in Model 1, adverse childhood experiences and IPV severity added in Model 2, and depressive symptoms and resilience added in Model 3.

RESULTS

All models were significant, with the final model accounting for 23.2% of the variance in parenting confidence, F(6, 130) = 6.53, p < .001, R² = .23. In this model, having other children (β = .18, p = .023), fewer pregnancy complications (β = -.19, p = .019), and higher resilience (β = .33, p < .001) were associated with higher parenting confidence.

CONCLUSIONS

Results suggest that intervention strategies that promote resilience and address pregnant women's health concerns may facilitate greater parenting confidence among IPV-exposed pregnant women. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).