Intimate partner violence and perinatal mental health disorders

Abstract

PURPOSE OF STUDY: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of intimate partner abuse amongst pregnant women attending the Perinatal Mental Health Clinic in Malta and were diagnosed with an antenatal or postnatal depression and/or anxiety disorder. Moreover, the socio-demographic variables associated with intimate partner abuse were also investigated.

METHODOLOGY: In this study, a survey research design using self-reported questionnaires was used after getting the necessary approvals. The questionnaire used, was an adapted version of the World Health Organisation (WHO) “Violence Against Women Structured Interview”, which was modified and translated into Maltese by Debono in 2015, using the WHO translation protocol.

RESULTS: In total, 100 mothers were eligible to participate. A total of 40 out of the 85 participating women (47.05%) reported one or more acts of psychological, verbal, physical or sexual abuse by their intimate partner during pregnancy. Out of the 40 abused women, 13 women (22.50%) reported one type of abuse, while 33 women (77.50%) reported more than one type of abuse. Verbal abuse (42.00%) and psychological abuse (39.00%) were the most common types of reported abuse during pregnancy, followed by physical (13.00%) and sexual abuse (12.00%). Using cross tabulations, the Pearson’s Chi-square test examined the association between intimate partner abuse and several socio-demographic variables.

CONCLUSION: Intimate partner abuse during pregnancy is a worldwide problem. This study confirms that mothers suffering from an antenatal or postpartum depression and/or anxiety disorder are at a higher risk of experiencing intimate partner abuse during pregnancy.

SIGNIFICANCE: Little is known about the prevalence of partner violence in pregnant women suffering from a mental health disorder. This study will aim to find out the prevalence of partner violence in such population. Moreover the socio demographic variable will give us more knowledge about risk factors related for experiencing partner abuse during pregnancy.