[Domestic violence and drug abuse in pregnancy]

This study results from a systematic review of scientific publications indexed in Medline between 1993 and 2004, aimed at analyzing scientific knowledge about domestic violence and drugs abuse during pregnancy. Nineteen articles were analyzed. These were published in international periodicals, mainly related to the specialty of child health. Most of these were medical periodicals of American origin and all of them published in English. As to study type, 57.9% were descriptive studies and 42.1% theoretical papers. These deal with subjects related to the woman's psychosocial needs, the importance of paternal responsibility in pregnancy, and the risk factors and implications of domestic violence and drugs use on the health of woman and child. This theoretical foundation allows for interventions in this scenario.