Intimate Partner Violence Against Pregnant Jordanian Women at the Time of COVID-19 Pandemic’s Quarantine

In Jordan, women experience considerable levels of different types of violence. The emerging data from different countries indicate that intimate partner violence (IPV) has intensified since the COVID-19 outbreak. The main purpose of the current study is to find out whether there is any difference in the incidence of IPV during and before the COVID-19 pandemic quarantine and whether any sociodemographical factors are related to the incidence of IPV against pregnant women during quarantine. A cross-sectional, correlational design was in this study. The snowball sampling technique was adopted to select the participants, which produced a nonrepresentative sample of 215 pregnant women. The participants completed the Arabic version of the World Health Organization’s Domestic Violence Questionnaire Screening Tool (DVQST). We found that women were exposed to different types of IPV before and during the quarantine. The most prevalent form of IPV was control and humiliation ( n 172, 80%) and the least prevalent was sexual violence (( n 33, 15.3%), ( n 24, 11.2%), respectively). However, there were statistically significant lower DVQST scores during the COVID-19 quarantine than before the quarantine. All types of IPV are significantly correlated with each other and with relationship problems (marital conflict, verbal fighting, understanding each other). While the findings are not generalizable to the general population of pregnant women in Jordan because the sample consisted only of women of high socioeconomic status due to the use of a nonprobability sampling technique, national campaigns should be developed and implemented in order to reduce IPV and change community behaviors and attitudes toward violence against women. It is also recommended that policymakers develop plans to help pregnant women during quarantine by, for example, training care providers on how to access vulnerable women.

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Intimate Partner Violence and its Mental Health Implications Amid COVID-19 Lockdown: Findings Among Nigerian Couples

Journal of Interpersonal Violence ◽

10.1177/08862605211015213 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 088626052110152

Author(s):

Margaret Isioma Ojeahere ◽

Sahmicit Kankemwa Kumswa ◽

Frances Adiukwu ◽

Janet Punyit Plang ◽

Yetunde Folake Taiwo

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Intimate Partner Violence ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Sampling Technique ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

Snowball Sampling ◽

Health Consequences ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Health Implications

Intimate partner violence (IPV) has been identified as a global health problem with increasing mental health consequences. During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in Nigeria, couples were compelled to spend more time together, regardless of their pre-existing challenges. Our study aims to determine the prevalence of IPV, its forms, and mental health implications among Nigerian households amid the COVID-19 lockdown. A cross-sectional study was implemented which used the snowball sampling technique to recruit 474 participants across 31 states in Nigeria. A semi-structured online questionnaire was distributed using the WhatsApp platform. The relationship between IPV, its forms, and associated factors were analyzed using descriptive analysis and logistic regression with significant value at p ≤ .05 and confidence interval of 95%. Majority (98.1%) of the participants had at least a college degree and 90.1% were employed. Overall prevalence of IPV ranged from 7.2% to 13.5%. Using the lockdown as the landmark, higher prevalence was found before than during the lockdown across physical, emotional, financial, and sexual forms of IPV. Emotional form had the highest prevalence both before and during the lockdown with 11.4% and 3.8% respectively. Furthermore, 22.6% of participants reported that the lockdown affected their mental health. Hopelessness, feelings of failure, being irritable, and constantly under strain were psychological symptoms significantly associated with IPV amid the lockdown. Decreased prevalence of IPV were found in the early phase of the pandemic, suggesting that couples can experience less partner violence during periods of confinement. Our study supports existing evidence that forms of IPV have negative mental health consequences on abused partners.

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Physical and Emotional Intimate Partner Violence and Women’s Health in the First Year After Childbirth: An Australian Pregnancy Cohort Study

Journal of Interpersonal Violence ◽

10.1177/0886260520934426 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 088626052093442

Author(s):

Kelly M. FitzPatrick ◽

Stephanie Brown ◽

Kelsey Hegarty ◽

Fiona Mensah ◽

Deirdre Gartland

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Intimate Partner Violence ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Short Form ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

Health Concern ◽

Physical Factors ◽

Care Providers ◽

Pregnancy Cohort ◽

Different Types

Intimate partner violence (IPV) can comprise physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, and is a widespread public health concern. Despite increasing recognition that women experience different types of IPV, the majority of research has focused on physical IPV. The present study aims to examine associations between different types of IPV (physical, emotional, physical, and emotional) and women’s mental, physical, and sexual health by analyzing longitudinal data from a prospective pregnancy cohort of 1,507 first-time mothers in Melbourne, Australia. Questionnaires included validated measures of physical and mental health (Short Form Health Survey, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale) and IPV (Composite Abuse Scale). Emotional IPV alone was the most commonly reported type of IPV ( n = 128, 9.5%), followed by both physical and emotional IPV ( n = 76, 5.7%), and then physical IPV alone ( n = 30, 2.2%). Women reporting emotional IPV or physical and emotional IPV had increased odds of poor health compared with women reporting no IPV. Experience of physical and emotional IPV was most strongly associated with mental health issues, including depressive symptoms (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 4.6, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [2.9, 7.1]) and self-reported anxiety (adjusted OR 2.9, 95% CI = [1.9, 4.4]). Experience of emotional IPV alone was associated with poor mental health as well as physical factors, including poor general physical health (adjusted OR 1.9, 95% CI = [1.2, 3.1]), and pain during sex (adjusted OR 1.8, 95% CI = [1.2, 2.7]). Increased odds of poor body image were also observed for women reporting emotional IPV alone and physical and emotional IPV. These findings highlight the need for greater awareness of the diversity in women’s experiences of IPV among health care providers. This includes understanding the prevalence of emotional IPV among new mothers, and the range of health problems that are more common for women experiencing IPV.

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The Impact of Preventive Interventions on Intimate Partner Violence among Pregnant Women Resident in Hamadan City Slum Areas Using the PEN-3 Model: Control Randomized Trial Study

Korean Journal of Family Medicine ◽

10.4082/kjfm.20.0118 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 42 (6) ◽

pp. 438-444

Author(s):

Khadije Ezzati Rastegar ◽

Babak Moeini ◽

Forouzan Rezapur-Shahkolai ◽

Asadollah Naghdi ◽

Manoochehr Karami ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Intimate Partner Violence ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

Control Group ◽

Care Providers ◽

Model Control ◽

The Impact ◽

Experimental Group ◽

Slum Areas

Background: Intimate partner violence is a severe life-threatening criminal and public health problem affecting the well-being of individuals, families, and society. Planning interventions to reduce the burden of this persistent and criminal violence should be relevant culturally and socially.Methods: In this randomized control trial, 150 pregnant women residing in slum areas of Hamadan were randomly assigned to two groups (intervention group: n=50 and control group: n=100). Interventional strategies included educating the victims based on local cultural norms, culturally sensitive individual and group counseling, and educating health care providers. Data were collected via face-to-face interviews at baseline and again at 3 months after the intervention. We used a paired t-test to evaluate the effect of the intervention by comparing changes in the outcomes measured.Results: There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups at baseline in terms of sociodemographic characteristics. Post-test scores of knowledge (7.50±2.65 vs. 5.14±3.51, P=0.001), communication skills (18.38±4.25 vs. 16.2±3.83, P=0.04), and family support and social expectation of obedience (15.79±4.45 vs. 13.40±4.57, P=0.005) of the victims were statistically significantly higher in the experimental group compared to the control group. Moreover, physical (0.74±2.28 vs. 1.20±2.60, P=0.06), psychological (2.80±4.10 vs. 4.52±5.43, P=0.06), and sexual (0.11±0.58 vs. 0.61±1.22, P=0.04) violence reduced in the experimental group compared to the control group.Conclusion: Culturally relevant interventions can reduce intimate partner violence.

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Midwives’ Attitudes Toward and Experience With a Tablet Intervention to Promote Safety Behaviors for Pregnant Women Reporting Intimate Partner Violence: Qualitative Study (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.16828 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Lisa Garnweidner-Holme ◽

Lena Henriksen ◽

Eva Marie Flaathen ◽

Tone Klette Bøhler ◽

Mirjam Lukasse

Keyword(s):

Intimate Partner Violence ◽

Prenatal Care ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Health Care Providers ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

Safety Behaviors ◽

Care Providers ◽

Technical Problems ◽

Face To Face

BACKGROUND Violence against women is considered a global health problem, and intimate partner violence (IPV) around the time of childbirth can have severe consequences for mother and child. Prenatal care is considered a window of opportunity to address IPV and ask women about exposure to violence since women are in regular contact with health care providers. Mobile health (mHealth) interventions might overcome the barriers to talking about IPV face-to-face. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to explore midwives’ attitudes toward a tablet intervention consisting of information about IPV and safety behaviors as well as their experiences with recruiting pregnant women of different ethnic backgrounds in a randomized controlled trial (RCT). METHODS Individual interviews were conducted with 9 midwives who recruited participants for an RCT to test a video to promote safety behaviors delivered on a tablet during prenatal care. Analysis was guided by thematic analysis. RESULTS Midwives perceived the tablet intervention as an appropriate supplement during prenatal care to provide information about IPV and promote safety behaviors. They participated in the RCT primarily to obtain more knowledge regarding how to communicate about IPV. The intervention was perceived as an anonymous door-opener to talk about IPV and a good solution to ensure that every woman gets the same information. However, the content of the intervention had to be trustworthy and align with the information the midwives provide to women. Given the sensitivity of IPV, midwives outlined the importance of following the intervention with face-to-face communication. Midwives reported technical problems and a high demand on their time as the main challenges to recruiting women. They experienced challenges recruiting women of different ethnic backgrounds due to linguistic barriers and the women’s skepticism about scientific research. CONCLUSIONS The tablet intervention might help midwives communicate about IPV. Although the video was considered as an anonymous door-opener to talk about IPV, midwives outlined the importance of following the intervention with face-to-face communication. The scarcity of midwives’ time during consultations has to be considered when implementing the intervention. Further research is needed to overcome barriers that limit inclusion of women from different ethnic backgrounds. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03397277; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03397277

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What Do Pregnant Women Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence Expect of Their Health Providers and Hospital Systems?

10.21203/rs.3.rs-669553/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

M Kyei-Onanjiri ◽

J Koziol-McLain ◽

J Spangaro ◽

J Walsh ◽

K Hegarty

Keyword(s):

Intimate Partner Violence ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Male Partner ◽

Well Being ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

World Health ◽

Health Providers ◽

Hospital System ◽

Hospital Systems

Abstract Background: Intimate partner violence is a pervasive public health and human rights problem with multidimensional effects on women’s physical, mental and reproductive well-being. The World Health Organization has recommended a first-line response to disclosures of intimate partner violence. However, a strong evidence base of which interventions work best is lacking and there is a greater need to listen to the voices of survivors to tailor responses. The primary purpose of this paper was to explore what pregnant women experiencing IPV wish for from their health providers and hospital systems.Methods: This paper is part of a broader study which included a survey of 1,067 pregnancy care patients at a large tertiary hospital in Melbourne. For this paper, we analysed an open-ended question related to victim/survivor women’s needs and what they wish for from health practitioners and the healthcare system. Overall, while 571 women responded to the open-ended questions, only those relating to women who screened positive on the composite abuse scale or responded ‘Yes’ to screening questions (n = 142) or had been afraid of their partner in the previous 12 months (n = 13) or had experienced reproductive coercion in the last 12 months (n = 6) were analysed for this paper, making a total of 161 respondents. Results: Four main themes emerged from the women in this study: 1) woman-centred care; 2) relationship and domestic violence-specific concerns; 3) male partner involvement and education; and 4) hospital system reform.Conclusions: This study shows that women experiencing intimate partner violence value care that is supportive of them, provides tailored health information, and involves their partner, as well as a health system that is well-organized, accessible and provides continuity of care. It is important to align maternal health services with attributes of care valued by women to meet the complex health needs of pregnant women experiencing intimate partner violence.

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The Association Between Intimate Partner Violence and Signs of Depression During Pregnancy in Kilimanjaro Region, Northern Tanzania

Journal of Interpersonal Violence ◽

10.1177/0886260517724256 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 35 (23-24) ◽

pp. 5797-5811 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Rachel Manongi ◽

Jane Rogathi ◽

Geofrey Sigalla ◽

Declare Mushi ◽

Vibeke Rasch ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Intimate Partner Violence ◽

Antenatal Care ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Physical Violence ◽

Previous History ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

Urban Setting ◽

World Health ◽

Northern Tanzania

Intimate partner violence (IPV) against pregnant women is common with severe health consequences to women and their babies. The aim of the present study is to measure the association between IPV and signs of depression among pregnant women attending antenatal care in a semi-urban setting in northern Tanzania. A cross-sectional study was conducted from March 1, 2014, to May 30, 2015, among pregnant women attending routine antenatal care in Moshi Municipality, Tanzania. During their third trimester, self-reported exposure to IPV was assessed using a validated structured questionnaire adopted from the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Multi-Country Study on Women’s Health and Domestic Violence. Signs of depression were assessed using Edinburg Postpartum Depression Scale. A total of 1,116 pregnant women were included in the analysis. A total number of 433 (38.8%) reported to be exposed to at least one type of violence during their pregnancy, and 128 (11.5%) presented with signs of depression. The most common type of violence experienced was emotional violence (30.7%), followed by sexual violence (19.0%) and physical violence (10.0%). Exposure to at least one type of violence was the strongest predictor for depression (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 5.06; 95% confidence interval [CI] = [3.25, 7.86]), followed by women who reported their primary source of emotional support was individuals not related to their family as compared with support obtained from their male partner/husband (AOR = 2.25; 95% CI = [1.26, 4.02]). Positive HIV/AIDS status (AOR = 2.27; 95% CI = [1.01, 5.14]) and previous history of depression (AOR = 1.62; 95% CI = [1.00, 2.64]). After adjusting for other predictors and types of violence, physical violence was the strongest predictor for signs of depression (AOR = 4.42; 95% CI = [2.65, 7.37]). Signs of depression were commonly observed among pregnant women and strongly associated with exposure to any type of IPV. The present findings indicate an urgent need for screening depression and IPV to mitigate the adverse health outcomes related to both IPV and depression during pregnancy.

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Magnitude of Intimate Partner Violence and Associated Factors among Pregnant Women in Ethiopia

Advances in Public Health ◽

10.1155/2020/1682847 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 ◽

pp. 1-9

Author(s):

Girmay Adhena ◽

Lemessa Oljira ◽

Yadeta Dessie ◽

Hagos Degefa Hidru

Keyword(s):

Intimate Partner Violence ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Associated Factors ◽

Physical Violence ◽

Unplanned Pregnancy ◽

Public Health Problem ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

World Health ◽

Major Public Health Problem

Background. Intimate partner violence during pregnancy is the most common and major public health problem and human rights issue worldwide and has a negative effect on the lives of both mother and fetus. Despite its prominence, this issue has received little attention in Ethiopia as well as many sub-Saharan African countries. This study assessed the magnitude of intimate partner violence and associated factors among pregnant women in Ofla District, Tigray, Ethiopia. Methods. A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted from March 1 to 30, 2019, among 543 pregnant women who visited antenatal care in the health facilities. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select study participants. Pretested, interviewer-administered data collection was done using a standardized World Health Organization multicountry questionnaire for women’s health and domestic violence against women. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were carried out to identify factors associated with violence. p value was set at p<0.05. Results. The overall prevalence of intimate partner violence during the current pregnancy was 37.5%: psychological (25.1%), sexual (17.7%), and physical violence (13.4%). Violence was associated with unplanned pregnancy ((AOR = 4.56, 95% CI: (2, 10.28)), unmarried women ((AOR = 2.59, 95% CI: (1.18, 5.73)), having alcoholic partner ((AOR = 3.3, 95% CI: (2.1, 5.16)), spouse’s multiple sexual partners status ((AOR = 5.1, 95% CI: (2.2, 12)), acceptance of violence by women ((AOR = 1.85, 95% CI: (1.1, 3.16)), low decision-making power of women ((AOR = 2.64, 95% CI: (1.6, 4.3)), and no interest in current pregnancy by partner ((AOR = 5.9, 95% CI: (2.36, 14.9)). Conclusions. More than one-third of pregnant women experienced intimate partner violence during a recent pregnancy. This is high and may lead to health consequences for both mothers and fetuses. Addressing gender inequitable norms, the culture of silence (support) to intimate partner violence in the community and women’s reproductive health information through intervention measures are very important to minimize the problem.

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Consequences of intimate partner violence against pregnant women and the involvement of health care providers

Romanian Journal of Medical Practice ◽

10.37897/rjmp.2017.2.3 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 74-78

Author(s):

Elena Madalina DUMITRESCU ◽

◽

Valeriu GHEORMAN ◽

Anca PATRASCU ◽

Ileana Octavia PETRESCU ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Intimate Partner Violence ◽

Prenatal Care ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Violence Against Women ◽

Health Care Providers ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

Major Public Health Problem ◽

Care Providers ◽

Partner Violence Against Women

Background. Violence against women is a major public health problem. Violence against pregnant women has serious health consequences for both pregnant women and child. Purpose. Using an online search on Pubmed our aim was to make a review of consequences of intimate partner violence against women, emphasizing the size of the impacts on pregnant women, pregnancy and child and aspects of the involvement of health providers. Method. The following key words have been on Pubmed introduced: “intimate partner violence“, “violence against women“, “pregnant women“, “pregnancy outcomes“, “prenatal care“. We reviewed research with a high evidence level published in the last five years, using the Pubmed, Cochrane database as well as WHO and EU documents until August 2016. Results. Most women are reluctant to reveal the phenomenon, but there are some who would consider acceptable for doctors to systematically ask about violence if the patient has certain injuries or features. Prenatal care is an opportunity for early identification and prevention of recurrence of such violence against women. Conclusion. The consequences of intimate partner violence against women pregnant are important and serious consequences on both short and long term health of the woman and the child. Health professionals should be prepared formal urgently to recognize situations that might be caused or complicated by IPV and how to react in these situations.

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Do Relative Status of Women and Marriage Characteristics Matter for the Intimate Partner Violence?

Journal of Family Issues ◽

10.1177/0192513x211030030 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 0192513X2110300

Author(s):

Aysegul Kayaoglu

Keyword(s):

Intimate Partner Violence ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Emotional Abuse ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

Resource Theory ◽

Bargaining Model ◽

Different Types ◽

Relative Status ◽

Turkish Case ◽

Status Of Women

This article analyzes intimate partner violence (IPV) in a developing country context, namely, Turkey, which faces an enormous increase in femicide cases over the last decade. Analyzing a very rich nationwide representative survey on IPV, we show that it is not only the absolute status of women but also their relative status in terms of income and education that affects different types of domestic violence, ranging from emotional abuse to physical and sexual violence. Besides, factors related to marriage setting are found to have a significant role in the effect of women’s superior status on IPV. Overall, we provide evidence to support the relative resource theory and invalidate the intra-household bargaining model in the Turkish case.

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Mental Health Consequences of Intimate Partner Violence Against Women in El Salvador

Violence Against Women ◽

10.1177/1077801220978803 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 107780122097880

Author(s):

Laura Navarro-Mantas ◽

Soledad de Lemus ◽

Jesús L. Megías

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Intimate Partner Violence ◽

El Salvador ◽

Violence Against Women ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Common Mental Disorders ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

World Health ◽

The World ◽

The Impact

Violence against women (VAW) is currently one of the main problems in El Salvador, which leads the ranking of femicides in the world. We conducted the first national survey on VAW in El Salvador following the World Health Organization (WHO) methodology, to determine the impact of violence on women’s mental health ( N = 1,274). Women who had experienced intimate partner violence showed significantly poorer mental health and more suicidal ideations. Common mental disorders were significantly associated with the experience of all forms of violence, after adjusting for sociodemographic variables and stressful life experiences. The results are discussed in connection with the primary care protocols and the design of public policies.

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