A University of British Columbia researcher specializing in
maternal and newborn health wants to change the way pre-natal
exams are conducted to include assessments of domestic violence.
Patricia Janssen, an assistant professor of Health Care and
Epidemiology, has completed a study of 4,700 pregnant women
– the largest study of its kind ever published – to measure
the prevalence of physical abuse by an intimate partner during
pregnancy.
"The consequences of abuse during pregnancy are devastating,"
says Janssen. "But doctors and other health-care providers
don’t ask about violence when taking histories from pregnant
women. We’re missing an opportunity to intervene early and
refer women to appropriate resources."
She found that babies of women who have suffered domestic
violence while pregnant are eight times more likely to die
than babies of non-abused women. In addition, abuse was associated
with elevated risk of severe bleeding, abnormally slow fetal
growth, and early onset of labour and premature delivery.
Obstetric nurses queried pregnant women at two Vancouver
hospitals between January 1999 and December 2000. Of the women
interviewed, 88 reported either physical abuse or fear of
abuse by an intimate partner.
The research, recently published in the American Journal
of Obstetrics and Gynecology, is the first broad-based study
to screen routinely all pregnant women coming into hospital.
Previous studies have looked at pregnant women belonging to
specific populations only, such as those attending public
clinics.
"Many women don’t tell us about violence in their lives
because they feel embarrassed or afraid to talk about it,"
says Janssen. "That’s why it’s important for health-care
providers to learn how to explain that violence affects mothers’
and babies’ health and to ask about it in a direct and open
way so women have the opportunity to discuss it."
The researchers, including co-investigator Assoc. Prof. Angela
Henderson of the UBC School of Nursing and colleagues at the
University of Washington, also found that pregnant teenagers
were abused three times more frequently than pregnant adults.
Abused women were also more likely to be single parents, of
First Nations origin, and have low incomes.
"This research confirms common beliefs and gives us
the scientific evidence we need to leverage practice and policy
change in the area of pre-natal care," Janssen says.
-30-
