Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 14, 2025

A Common Marmoset Model of Mother-Infant Intervention for Breastfeeding Disorders in the Presence of Paternal Inhibition and Maternal Neglect
05:04

A Common Marmoset Model of Mother-Infant Intervention for Breastfeeding Disorders in the Presence of Paternal Inhibition and Maternal Neglect

Published on: September 22, 2023

585

Intimate partner violence and growth outcomes through infancy: A longitudinal investigation of multiple mediators in

Whitney Barnett1,2, Raymond Nhapi1, Heather J Zar1

  • 1Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, and SA-Medical Research Council Unit on Child and Adolescent Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.

Maternal & Child Nutrition
|November 4, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Intimate partner violence (IPV) during pregnancy and postpartum is linked to poorer infant growth. Maternal substance use partially explains this connection, highlighting the need for integrated support programs.

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Maternal and Child Health
  • Psychology

Background:

  • Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a known risk factor for adverse fetal and infant outcomes.
  • The specific pathways linking IPV to growth deficits, especially in the postnatal period, require further elucidation.
  • Understanding mediating factors is crucial for developing effective interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine associations between antenatal and postnatal IPV and infant growth at birth and 12 months.
  • To investigate the mediating roles of maternal depression, alcohol use, tobacco use, and infant hospitalizations in the IPV-growth relationship.
  • To explore these relationships within a South African cohort.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal study design enrolling mothers during pregnancy.
  • Measurement of maternal IPV (emotional and physical) during pregnancy and postpartum.
  • Assessment of maternal depression, alcohol and tobacco use, and infant anthropometric measurements (weight and length z-scores) at birth and 12 months.
  • Statistical analyses using linear regression and structural equation modeling.

Main Results:

  • Antenatal emotional and physical IPV were associated with reduced birth weight-for-age z-scores (WFAZ).
  • Physical IPV was linked to reduced length-for-age z-scores (LFAZ) at birth.
  • Postnatal emotional and physical IPV were associated with reduced WFAZ at 12 months.
  • Emotional IPV was linked to reduced LFAZ at 12 months.
  • Maternal alcohol and tobacco use mediated IPV-growth relationships at birth; tobacco use mediated postnatal relationships.

Conclusions:

  • Physical and emotional IPV are significant risk factors for compromised fetal and infant growth.
  • Maternal substance use (alcohol and tobacco) plays a mediating role in the relationship between IPV and infant growth.
  • Interventions addressing both IPV and substance use are critical for improving infant growth in high-risk settings.

Keywords:
LMICSouth Africaalcoholinfant growthintimate partner violencemediationtobacco

More Related Videos

Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study09:36

Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study

Published on: February 2, 2017

27.3K
Rapid Fractionation and Isolation of Whole Blood Components in Samples Obtained from a Community-based Setting11:31

Rapid Fractionation and Isolation of Whole Blood Components in Samples Obtained from a Community-based Setting

Published on: November 30, 2015

16.2K

Related Concept Videos

Socioemotional Development during Infancy01:30

Socioemotional Development during Infancy

Socio-emotional development in infancy is primarily shaped by early emotional responses and social connections, with temperament playing a central role. Temperament refers to the consistent patterns in an individual's emotional and behavioral responses, observable even in infancy. By examining temperament, researchers can better understand an infant's unique ways of interacting with the world, influencing subsequent personality and socio-emotional growth.
Primary Temperament Types
189
Socioemotional Experience and Gender Development01:30

Socioemotional Experience and Gender Development

Social-emotional experiences and cultural influences play significant roles in shaping gender development. During middle childhood, from ages 6 to 11, peer groups become dominant in reinforcing gender norms. Children in this age group often align with same-gender peer groups, which actively encourage behaviors that conform to traditional gender roles. For instance, boys may be discouraged from engaging in activities perceived as feminine, reinforcing culturally dictated norms about masculinity...
107
Relationship Formation02:12

Relationship Formation

What do you think is the single most influential factor in determining with whom you become friends and whom you form romantic relationships? You might be surprised to learn that the answer is simple: the people with whom you have the most contact. This most important factor is proximity. You are more likely to be friends with people you have regular contact with. For example, there are decades of research that shows that you are more likely to become friends with people who live in your dorm,...
42.0K
Relationship with Parents: Attachment01:28

Relationship with Parents: Attachment

Parent-child interactions lay the foundation for how we understand relationships throughout life. These interactions are not uniform across families; instead, they are shaped by a range of environmental, emotional, and behavioral factors unique to each caregiver-child dynamic. Social psychologists study these early relationships to understand how patterns formed in infancy influence social functioning and interpersonal behavior in adulthood.Attachment Theory and Early Relational ModelsJohn...
23
Impact of Social Context on Individuals01:21

Impact of Social Context on Individuals

Social psychology examines how the real or imagined presence of others influences individuals' thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. A key concept in this field is the role of social context in shaping behavior. The same individual may act differently depending on the social setting, due to the varying expectations and norms associated with each environment. This context-dependent behavior illustrates the influence of social roles, which prescribe appropriate conduct in specific situations.Social...
69
Aggression01:47

Aggression

Humans engage in aggression when they seek to cause harm or pain to another person. Aggression takes two forms depending on one’s motives: hostile or instrumental. Hostile aggression is motivated by feelings of anger with intent to cause pain; a fight in a bar with a stranger is an example of hostile aggression. In contrast, instrumental aggression is motivated by achieving a goal and does not necessarily involve intent to cause pain (Berkowitz, 1993); a contract killer who murders for...
28.4K