Postpartum mothers' disclosure of abuse, role, and conflict.
Experts evaluating evidence of the occurrence and effects of abuse before, during, and after pregnancy have called for research on the context within which violence occurs. This study elicited postpartum mothers' perceptions of roles and conflict in their abusive intimate relationships. Thirty newly delivered African-, Anglo-, and Hispanic-American abused mothers consented to be interviewed. While ethnicity, cultural norms, and economic issues framed their descriptions, more than half (57%) described their relationships as not abusive even though they reported experiencing behaviors defined as abuse on standardized abuse screening instruments. Several women found ways to take care of themselves within the abusive relationship. The concerns that these diverse abused postpartum mothers expressed can serve as a foundation for the development of culturally sensitive interventions.
Ulrich
Yvonne Campbell
YC
Psychosocial and Community Health Nursing, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA. yulrich@myuw.net
McKenna
Laura Smith
LS
King
Christine
C
Campbell
Doris W
DW
Ryan
Josephine
J
Torres
Sara
S
Lea
Patricia Price
PP
Medina
Mary
M
Garza
Mary A
MA
Johnson-Mallard
Versie
V
Landenberger
Karen
K
Campbell
Jacquelyn C
JC
D000328:Adult; D018585:Battered Women / Q000523:psychology; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology; D033262:Narration; D049590:Postpartum Period / Q000523:psychology; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014342:Truth Disclosure