Abstract
The prevalence of domestic violence (DV) during pregnancy could be high and is associated with significant psychological and physical impairment for mother and the fetus. The major objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of DV in expectant mothers who have attended the Iran University of Medical Sciences’ Hospitals (IUMS). In this cross-sectional study, 1,800 subjects were interviewed using a modified questionnaire to determine the prevalence of DV. Consecutive sampling was performed in six major hospitals of IUMS according to the number of referred patients. The prevalence of DV was found to be 60.6% including three types of physical, psychological, and sexual violence with the prevalence of 14.6, 60.5 and 23.5%, respectively. Severe physical DV was 5.3%. Severe psychological and sexual DV were also found in about 24.6 and 3.4% of cases, respectively. DV had a high prevalence in this study. It is recommended that all accessible pregnant women be screened for DV. Study of the prevalence of DV within the community with a larger sample size, and using cluster-sampling methodology would be of immense value.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Browne, A. (1997). When battered women kill. 2nd ed (p. 232). Australia: Collier MacMillan.
Cokkinides, V. E., Coker, A. L., Sanderson, M., Addy, C., & Bethea, L. (1999). Physical violence during pregnancy: maternal complications and birth outcomes. Obstetrics and Gynecology, 93(5 Pt 1), 661–666.
Covington, D. L., Hage, M., Hall, T., & Mathis, M. (2001). Preterm delivery and the severity of violence during pregnancy. Journal of Reproductive Medicine, 46(12), 1031–1039.
Croft, J. B., Anda, R. F., Dietz, P. M., Chapman, D. P., Santelli, J., Williamson, D. F., et al. (2001). Abused boys, battered mothers, and male involvement in teen pregnancy. Pediatrics, 107(2), 19.
Davidson, L. L., Grisso, J. A., Garcis-Moreno, C., King, V. J., & Marchant, S. (2001). Training programs for health care professionals in domestic violence. Journal of Womens Health and Gender Based Medicine, 10, 953–969.
Fernandez, F. M., & Krueger, P. M. (1999). Domestic violence: Effect on pregnancy outcome. Journal of American Osteopathology Association, 99(5), 254.
Gazmararian, J. A., Adams, M. M., Saltzman, L. E., Johnson, C. H., Bruce, F. C., Marks, J. S., et al. (1995). The relationship between pregnancy intended ness and physical violence in mothers of newborns. The PRAMS Working Group. Obstetrics and Gynecology, 85(6), 1031–1038.
Gazmararian, J. A., Lazorick, S., Spite, A. M., Ballar, T. J., Saltzman, L. E., & Marks, J. S. (1996). Prevalence of violence against pregnant women: A review of the literature. Journal of American Medical Association, 275, 1915–1920.
Gells, R. J. (1975). Violence and pregnancy: A note on the extent of the problem and needed services. Family Coordination, 24(1), 81–86.
Hedin, L. W., & Janson, P. O. (2000). Domestic violence during pregnancy. The prevalence of physical injuries, substance use, abortions and miscarriages. Journal Acta Obstet Gynecol Scan 2000, 79(8), 625–630.
Helten, J. (1996). Battering during pregnancy. American Journal of Nursing, 86, 910–913.
Hillard, P. A. (1985). Physical abuse in pregnancy. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 66, 185–190.
Irion, O., Boulvain, M., Straccia, A. T., & Bonnet, J. (2000). Emotional, physical and sexual violence against women before or during pregnancy. British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 107(10), 1306–1308.
Jewkes, R. (2001). Relationship dynamics and teenage pregnancy in South Africa. Social Science and Medicine, 52(5), 733–744.
Klevens J. (2001). Physical violence against women in Santa Fe de Begota, Clombia: Prevalence and related factors. Pan American Journal of Public Health, 9(2), 78–83.
Mooney, J. (1993). The hidden figure. Domestic violence in North London—the findings of a survey conducted on domestic violence in the North London Borough of Islington (pp. 120–126). London: Center for Criminology, Middlesex University.
Moreno Rojas, A. (1996). Women, pregnancy and violence. Syndrome of abuse of pregnant women. Review of Colombia Obstetrics and Gynecology, 47(2), 87–91.
Parker, B., & Chouaf, K. (2002). Intimate partner violence following pregnancy. Journal of Arch Pediatric and Adolescence Medicine, 156(4), 313–314.
Poole, G. V., Martin, J. N., Jr., Perry, K. G., Jr., Griswold, J. A., Lambert, C. J., & Rhodes, R. S. (1996). Trauma in pregnancy: The role of interpersonal violence. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 174(6), 1873–1878.
Ramsay, J., Richardson, J., Carter, Y. H., Davidson, L. L., & Feder, G. (2002). Should health professionals screen women for domestic violence? Systematic review. British Medical Journal, 325(7359), 314–327.
Rodriguez, E., Lasch, K. E., Chandra, P., & Lee, J. (2001). The relation of family violence, employment status, welfare benefits, and alcohol drinking in the United States. WJM: Western Journal of Medicine, 174(5), 317–323.
Smith, D. M. (2001). SECTION I: Family therapy and the family health. Journal of Prevention and Intervention in the Community, 21(1), 53–64.
Stark, E., Flitcraft, A., & Frazier, W. (1999). Medicine and patriarchal violence: The social construction of a private event. International Journal of Health Survey, 9, 461–493.
Stewart, D. E., & Cecutti, A. (1993). Physical abuse in pregnancy. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 149, 1257–1263.
Taggart, L., & Mattson, S. (1996). Delay in prenatal care as a result of battering in pregnancy. Journal of Health Care Women International, 17, 25–34.
Van Hightower, N. R., Gorton, J., & DeMoss, C. L. (2000). Predictive models of domestic violence and fear of intimate partners among migrant and seasonal farm worker women. Journal of Family Violence, 15(2), 137–154.
Webster, J., Sweett, S., & Stolz, T. A. (1994). Domestic violence in pregnancy. A prevalence study. Medical Journal of Australia, 17, 161(8), 463–464.
Wiemann, C. M., Agurcia, C. A., Berenson, A. B., Volk, R. J., & Rickert, V. I. (2000). Pregnant adolescents: Experiences and behaviors associated with physical assault by an intimate partner. Maternal and Children Health Journal, 4(2), 93–101.
Wiemann, C. M., Berenson, A. B., & Landwehr, B. M. (1995). Racial and ethnic correlates of tobacco, alcohol and illicit drug use in a pregnant population. Journal Violence Victim, 40, 571–578.
Acknowledgment
Iran University Medical Science Research Committee financially supported this work. I would like to thank Mrs. Roohangiz Jamshidi for her cooperation. Also the assistance of six midwives who helped us to gather the data is greatly appreciated.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Jahanfar, S., Malekzadegan, Z. The Prevalence of Domestic Violence Among Pregnant Women Who Were Attended in Iran University of Medical Science Hospitals. J Fam Viol 22, 643–648 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-007-9084-0
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-007-9084-0