Intimate partner violence in pregnant women: predisposing factors

Abstract

Background: Intimate partner violence is a serious health problem worldwide and should be a priority issue for policy makers. Having adequate information helps to develop strategies to eradicate this scourge. The objective of this study was to determine the factors associated with situations of intimate partner violence during pregnancy. Methods: During 2015 a cross-sectional study was carried out in pregnant women in southern Spain. Information on sociodemographic variables, information on pregnancy, childbirth, and the puerperium was collected through interviews and official clinical documents. To determine the situation of violence, the Woman Abuse Screening Tool (WAST) was used in its short version. Comparisons of means were made using the t test; chi square and binary regression, as well as the MannWhitney U test or the Kruskal-Wallis test for variables that did not follow a normal distribution were used. Results: 141 women participated in the study; the percentage of women in situations of intimate partner violence during pregnancy was 31.2% (44). A low level of education for women’s partners, multiparous women, coexistence with people who require care and care, single marital status, women’s partners were unemployed, women not having a permanent employment and having an unwanted pregnancy seem be predisposing factors for a situation of intimate partner violence during pregnancy (p˂0.05) Conclusions: Certain social factors, such as educational level and job stability, can influence the existence of intimate partner violence during pregnancy.