Intimate partner and nonpartner violence against pregnant women in rural Haiti.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the association between violence experienced by pregnant Haitian women in the previous 6 months and pregnancy-related symptom distress.


METHODS
A total of 200 women seeking prenatal care at community health dispensaries in the Artibonite Valley were interviewed.


RESULTS
Over 4 in 10 women (44.0%) reported that they had experienced violence in the 6 months prior to interview; 77.8% of these women reported that the violence was perpetrated by an intimate partner. Those who experienced intimate partner violence reported significantly greater pregnancy-related symptom distress (beta=0.23, P=0.001). No significant differences between violence perpetrated by family members or others and reporting of symptoms were observed (beta=0.06, P=0.38).


CONCLUSIONS
The findings indicate the need to integrate violence screening, resources, and primary prevention into prenatal care in rural Haiti.
Small
Maria J
MJ
Duke University School of Medicine, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
Gupta
Jhumka
J
Frederic
Rikerdy
R
Joseph
Gabriel
G
Theodore
Melanie
M
Kershaw
Trace
T
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006205:Haiti; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008427:Maternal Health Services; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications; D011295:Prenatal Care; D013179:Spouse Abuse