Intimate partner abuse before and during pregnancy : impact on maternal anxiety and depression

Abstract

The present study aimed to identify the prevalence and course of intimate partner abuse (IPA) during pregnancy, to examine the impact of lifetime and current IPA on maternal mental health problems (i.e., depressive symptoms, general anxiety symptoms, pregnancy-specific symptoms) across different stages of pregnancy period, and to test the moderating effects of perceived social support and attitudes towards pregnancy on the relationship between IPA and maternal mental health problems. A secondary data analysis of a dataset from a published study was conducted. The original study used a prospective longitudinal design with quantitative approach. The present study focused on the unpublished data on IPA experiences and symptoms of depression, general anxiety and pregnancy-specific anxiety. A consecutive sample of 1470 pregnant women were recruited. They were assessed a total of three times, during the first (T1), second (T2), and third (T3) trimesters of pregnancy. The lifetime prevalence of IPA among pregnant women as reported during the first trimester was found to be 11.3%, the 2-month period prevalence of IPA during the second trimester was 6.5%, and the 4-month period prevalence of IPA during the third trimester was 10.6%. The results showed that both lifetime and pregnancy-onset psychological IPA, but not physical IPA, had significant negative impacts on maternal mental health. Further, experiencing a greater number of types of IPA in lifetime and during pregnancy increased the risk for maternal mental health problems. Perceived social support and attitude towards pregnancy did not moderate the relationship between IPA and maternal mental health problems. To conclude, psychological IPA had a significant negative impact on women’s mental health during pregnancy. Furthermore, the risk for mental health problems increased as the number of types of IPA experienced increased. The findings implied an importance of screening of psychological IPA among pregnant women, as well as a need for developing and implementing interventions to address IPA.