Physical abuse during pregnancy and preterm delivery.
OBJECTIVE
This study was undertaken to assess the relationship between physical abuse during pregnancy and preterm delivery.


METHODS
We conducted a hospital-based survey on physical abuse during pregnancy, which included 2660 women with consecutive live births. Women were interviewed and violence was assessed using the Abuse Assessment Screen. Data on sociodemographic, behavioral, and obstetric variables were also obtained. Mothers of preterm (<37 weeks; n = 217) were contrasted with mothers of term newborn infants (n = 2428). Logistic regression analysis was performed to estimate adjusted odds ratios.


RESULTS
Twenty-four percent of mothers of preterm newborn infants had experienced physical abuse during pregnancy compared with 8% of mothers of term newborn infants (P < .0001). Violence was associated with preterm birth even after controlling for age, marital status, education, income, parity, planned pregnancy, antenatal care, smoking, alcohol, and illicit drugs use (odds ratio = 3.14, 95% confidence interval, 2.00-4.93).


CONCLUSIONS
Women who have had physical abuse during pregnancy present a large increase in the risk of preterm delivery, independently from a large set of sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics usually recognized as determinants of preterm birth.
Rodrigues
Teresa
T
Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, University of Porto Medical School, Porto, Portugal.
Rocha
Lúcia
L
Barros
Henrique
H
D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D007752:Obstetric Labor, Premature / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D011174:Portugal / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011295:Prenatal Care; D015995:Prevalence; D012923:Social Class; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires