Does it make any difference if she is a mother? An interactional perspective on intimate partner violence with a focus on motherhood and pregnancy.
The authors report on the impact of motherhood and pregnancy on interactional aspects of intimate partner violence (IPV) among help-seeking women. Is having children a protective or a risk factor for IPV severity, injury, duration, frequency, and mortal danger, controlling for sociodemographics? Regarding interactional aspects of IPV, do survivors who experience IPV during pregnancy differ from those who do not? Is IPV during pregnancy characterized by different severity, injury, frequency, and mortal danger? A representative sample of women was interviewed. Motherhood increased the risk for longer duration of physical, psychological, and sexual IPV, even controlling for duration of partnership. Combinations of main categories of IPV during pregnancy were different from when not pregnant. Duration of physical and psychological IPV was the only variable increasing the likelihood of experiencing IPV during pregnancy. All physical IPV variables were significantly lower during pregnancy. For psychological IPV, all variables but frequency were lower. Only mortal danger was significantly lower in the sexual IPV main category.
Vatnar
Solveig Karin Bø
SK
Centre for Research and Education in Forensic Psychiatry, Ullevål University Hospital, Oslo, Norway. solveig.vatnar@kompetanse-senteret.no
Bjørkly
Stål
S
D000328:Adult; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology*; D018585:Battered Women / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016387:Women's Health; D055815:Young Adult