Spousal abuse during pregnancy in Karachi, Pakistan.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the magnitude of and factors associated with spousal abuse during pregnancy in women presenting to tertiary care hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan.


METHODS
Five hundred women who delivered a live singleton baby were interviewed. Physical and/or emotional abuse during pregnancy (PEAP) was the primary outcome measure as determined by the World Health Organization's domestic violence module. Frequencies of different forms of abuse were measured and the relationship between PEAP and the risk factors was determined using multiple logistic regression.


RESULTS
Of the women interviewed, 44% reported abuse during the index pregnancy; and of these, 43% experienced emotional abuse and 12.6% reported physical abuse. Factors independently associated with PEAP were number of living children (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.34; CI, 1.08-1.65), interfamilial conflicts (AOR 3.03; CI, 1.85-4.96), husband's exposure to maternal abuse (AOR, 2.38; CI, 1.41-4.02), and husband's use of tobacco (AOR 1.59; CI, 1.05-2.42). Women who had adequate social support were less likely to be abused by their husbands (AOR 0.65; CI, 0.51-0.82).


CONCLUSIONS
Almost half of the pregnant women interviewed were either physically or emotionally abused. Strong social support helps protect against abuse.
Farid
Mufiza
M
Department of Community Health Sciences, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan. mufiza.farid@aku.edu
Saleem
Sarah
S
Karim
Mehtab S
MS
Hatcher
Juanita
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010154:Pakistan / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012944:Social Support; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*