title: Symptoms associated with pregnancy complications along the Thai-Burma border: the role of conflict violence and intimate partner violence.
abstract: To assess the association between lifetime violence victimization and self-reported symptoms associated with pregnancy complications among women living in refugee camps along the Thai-Burma border. Cross-sectional survey of partnered women aged 15-49 years living in three refugee camps who reported a pregnancy that resulted in a live birth within the past 2 years with complete data (n = 337). Variables included the lifetime prevalence of any violence victimization, conflict victimization, intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization, self-reported symptoms of pregnancy complications, and demographic covariates. Logistic generalized estimating equations, accounting for camp-level clustering, were used to assess the relationships of interest. Approximately one in six women (16.0 %) reported symptoms related to pregnancy complications for their most recent birth within the last 2 years and 15 % experienced violence victimization. In multivariable analyses, any form of lifetime violence victimization was associated with 3.1 times heightened odds of reporting symptoms (95 % CI 1.8-5.2). In the final adjusted model, conflict victimization was associated with a 3.0 increase in odds of symptoms (95 % CI 2.4-3.7). However, lifetime IPV victimization was not associated with symptoms, after accounting for conflict victimization (aOR: 1.8; 95 % CI 0.4-9.0). Conflict victimization was strongly linked with heightened risk of self-reported symptoms associated with pregnancy complications among women in refugee camps along the Thai-Burma border. Future research and programs should consider the long-term impacts of conflict victimization in relation to maternal health to better meet the needs of refugee women.
authors: Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health, 60 College St, 4th Fl, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA. Kathryn.falb@yale.edu.
authors: Kathryn L
authors: KL
authors: Falb
authors: Department of Society, Human Development, and Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
authors: Marie C
authors: MC
authors: McCormick
authors: Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Hemenway
authors: American Refugee Committee, Minnesota, MN, USA.
authors: Katherine
authors: K
authors: Anfinson
authors: Division of Global Public Health, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, San Diego, CA, USA.
authors: Jay G
authors: JG
authors: Silverman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D045809:Human Rights Abuses / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D002052:Myanmar / Q000208:ethnology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D012036:Refugees / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012742:Sex Offenses / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012747:Sexual Partners; D013785:Thailand / Q000208:ethnology; D014754:Violence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014857:Warfare; D055815:Young Adult