Intimate partner violence and psychoemotional disturbance among pregnant women admitted to hospital with prenatal complications.

OBJECTIVE

To assess intimate partner violence (IPV) and psychoemotional disturbance among pregnant women in a low-income setting.

METHODS

In total, 283 pregnant women with high-risk prenatal complications were surveyed via the 20-item Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20) and the Violence against Women screening tool. A total SRQ-20 score of at least 7 was defined as indicating psychoemotional disturbance.

RESULTS

Median age of participants was 24 years, 65 (23.0%) came from marginal areas, 6 (2.1%) had no education, and 75 (26.5%) had fewer than 5 prenatal visits. Median gestational age at survey was 33 weeks, with 224 (79.2%) admitted for treatment of threatened preterm labor. Median age of partner was 27 years, and 72 (25.5%) consumed alcohol on a daily basis. Ninety-eight (34.6%) pregnant women experienced at least 1 type of physical abuse or violence during the current pregnancy. Median total SRQ-20 score was 7. Overall, 145 (51.2%) had scores of 7 or higher. Total SRQ-20 scores positively correlated with the presence of IPV (number of positive items) and parity, and inversely correlated with maternal education level and gestational age at survey.

CONCLUSION

IPV was highly prevalent and significantly correlated with female psychoemotional disturbance.