Frequency of domestic violence in pregnancy and its adverse maternal outcomes among Pakistani women

Abstract

Objective: To determine the frequency of domestic violence in pregnancy and its adverse maternal outcomes among Pakistani women.Material and methods: This was a prospective descriptive longitudinal study conducted at the Department of Obstetrics &Gynecology of Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center, Karachi from October 2021 to March 2022. The questionnaire was filled during an interview. First part included demographic profile, second part comprised of 5 items with ‘yes’ or ‘no’ options. Any positive answer meant woman was subjected to abuse. Adverse maternal outcome was also assessed.Results: Out of a total of 105 pregnant women, 43(41%) women suffered domestic violence. Verbal or emotional violence (39%) was the most common type of violence. In our study, anemia (71.4%) was the most common complication. Preterm labor (63.8%) was the second on the list. was significantly associated with domestic violence (P-value<0.05). Educational status, employment status, substance abuse, and household monthly income of spouse had a significant association (P-value<0.05) with domestic violence.Conclusion: Our study shows that high frequency of violence at the time of pregnancy is related to negative maternal outcomes.Women should be screened for violence and support services for such women should be provided in the country.