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Updated: Jul 17, 2026

Analysis of Electrocardiograms and Behavior in Mice from Pregnancy to Lactation Period
Published on: April 5, 2024
Double binding, abusive intimate partner relationships, and pregnancy.
Kristin F Lutz1, Mary Ann Curry, Linda C Robrecht
1School of Nursing, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Clinical Sciences Center, Wisconsin 53792-2455, USA. kflutz@wisc.edu
This study introduces "double binding" to explain how pregnant women respond to intimate partner abuse. It highlights the conflicting needs of bonding with a baby and an abusive partner.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Women's Health
Background:
- Intimate partner abuse (IPA) during pregnancy presents unique challenges.
- Existing theories of abuse and motherhood require integration to understand pregnant women's experiences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To extend and integrate process theories of abuse and becoming a mother.
- To develop a contextually appropriate perspective for understanding women's behavioral responses to IPA during pregnancy.
- To propose "double binding" as a construct for understanding IPA in pregnancy.
Main Methods:
- Inductive-deductive process.
- Literature review.
- Qualitative data from two studies on abuse during pregnancy.
- Clinical experience.
Main Results:
- Double binding is proposed as a construct to understand IPA during pregnancy.
- Double binding describes simultaneous, conflicting processes of bonding with the unborn child and the abusive partner.
- This occurs as women navigate motherhood development tasks with an abusive partner.
Conclusions:
- Double binding offers a suitable lens for interpreting pregnant women's behavioral responses to abuse.
- Suggestions for clinical practice and research are provided to develop interventions.
- Further research is needed to develop and refine interventions incorporating the double binding construct.
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