Prevalence and Correlates of Intimate Partner Violence in the Perinatal Period in a Representative Sample of Quebec

Sylvie Lévesque1, Anna Medvetskaya2, Dominic Julien3

  • 1Département de Sexologie, University of Quebec in Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada levesque.sylvie@uqam.ca.

Violence and Victims
|September 12, 2024
PubMed

Using a nationally representative sample of 1,264 biological mothers of children aged between 6 months and 5 years, this study identified the prevalence estimates of intimate partner violence occurring in the perinatal period (IPV-PP) and examined the associations between IPV-PP and various characteristics. Findings show that 10.9% of mothers reported victimization to at least one intimate partner violence episode during the perinatal period. Younger maternal age at childbirth, drug consumption, being a single mother, higher parental stress due to the child's temperament, and higher stress due to family and extrafamilial obligations were all associated with IPV-PP. Findings emphasized that IPV-PP is indeed an important public health matter in Quebec. Interventions should focus on victimization screening during the perinatal period and on enhancing victims' security and well-being.

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