Effects of intimate partner violence on pregnancy trauma and placental abruption

Intimate partner violence (IPV) during pregnancy increases women's risk of pregnancy complications and adverse birth outcomes. The goal of this study was to examine the association between IPV and prenatal trauma and placental abruption during pregnancy.

Prenatal and hospital obstetrical charts were reviewed for 2873 women who gave birth between January 2000 and March 2002 in a Northeastern city. We examined associations among sociodemographic characteristics, health-related variables, IPV, and pregnancy trauma and placental abruption using univariate and multivariate logistic regression.

Of the 2873 women in the analyses, 105 (3.7%) reported IPV during prenatal care. After controlling for sociodemographic variables; tobacco, alcohol, and drug use; preeclampsia; and gestational diabetes during pregnancy, women who reported IPV also had higher odds of pregnancy trauma and placental abruption (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 32.08, 95% confidence interval [CI] 14.33-71.80, p < 0.01, and OR 5.17, 95% CI 1.37-19.51, p < 0.05, respectively).

This study found that IPV is a significant and independent risk factor for pregnancy trauma and placental abruption after controlling for factors typically associated with these outcomes. This study has implications for partner violence screening and intervention policies among pregnant women and highlights the importance of making distinctions about the type of IPV that women experience.