Abuse during pregnancy: the horror and the hope

Physical violence against women is pervasive; and such abuse may begin during pregnancy. This article chronicles the clinical research on battering during pregnancy and focuses on a prospective study of 691 pregnant women; the study documented that one in six women are abused during pregnancy. Ethnic differences in the patterns of abuse are discussed, as are related findings of entry into prenatal care and characteristics of the abuser. Clinical implications are presented, with an emphasis on the usefulness of straightforward assessment with a three-question abuse assessment screen to identify abused women and intervene to prevent abuse during pregnancy.