Intimate partner violence during pregnancy: best practices for social workers

Intimate partner violence (IPV) during pregnancy is a major problem in the United States, with estimates that 3 percent to 17 percent of women experience violence during the perinatal period. Research indicates that IPV during pregnancy is associated with serious, negative health outcomes for the mother and her unborn child. As such, many researchers have suggested that pregnancy offers a unique window for IPV intervention, particularly for social workers in health-care settings. Although assessing for IPV more generally has received increased attention in the social work literature, there is a lack of information about the specific needs for pregnant women. Thus, the purpose of this article is to provide a focused literature review on the scope and impact of IPV during pregnancy and to identify best practices for social workers for intervention and prevention.