Intimate partner violence during pregnancy: a focus on partner characteristics

This study analyzes the association between violence against women during pregnancy and intimate partner socioeconomic and behavioral characteristics. We conducted an analytical cross-sectional study with 327 postpartum women admitted to a maternity hospital in a city in Espírito Santo, Brazil using a questionnaire to collect data on intimate partner socioeconomic and behavioral characteristics. Intimate partner violence was assessed using questions based on the World Health Organisation instrument "Violence against Women (WHO VAW STUDY)". Associations were tested using crude and adjusted Poisson regression. The prevalence of psychological violence during pregnancy was higher among women whose partners consumed alcohol, refused to use condoms, and were not the infant's biological father. Physical violence was associated with women whose partners did not work and refused to use condoms. The prevalence of sexual violence during pregnancy was more than nine times higher among women with partners who refused to use condoms. The findings demonstrate that antenatal care is an opportune time to approach partners about health care and address violence. It is necessary to promote the utilization of health services by men in order to address risk factors for violence during pregnancy.