TY - JOUR
PY - 2024//
TI - Intimate partner violence and antenatal depression among underserved pregnant women
JO - Journal of women's health (Larchmont)
A1 - Zhao, Xingpei
A1 - Liu, Jihong
A1 - Brown, Monique J.
A1 - Alston, Kimberly
SP - ePub
EP - ePub
VL - ePub
IS - ePub
N2 - INTRODUCTION: Few studies have examined the associations of intimate partner violence (IPV) exposure during pregnancy and types of IPV with antenatal depression among underserved pregnant women.
METHODS: Data came from participants from a Healthy Start program in South Carolina between 2015 and 2019 (n = 1,629). The first two questions in the Woman Abuse Screening Tool (WAST) were used to measure IPV exposure, that is, having a problematic relationship with their partner. Those who had IPV exposure were assessed with six additional questions of the WAST. Principal component analysis was conducted on the 8-item WAST data to identify underlying types of IPV exposure. Antenatal depression was defined as the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scores ≥16.
RESULTS: Participants were racially diverse (71% black, 21% white) with 85% Medicaid recipients. Nearly 12% of participants reported IPV exposure and 30% reported antenatal depression. The odds of having IPV exposure were higher among unmarried women, those with less than a high school education, and those who lacked family support. The odds of having antenatal depression were 2.5 times higher (95% CI: 1.9-3.5) among women with IPV exposure. After controlling for covariates, a one-point increase in the scores for psychological IPV (Factor 1) or a problematic relationship (Factor 3) was associated with increased odds of antenatal depression.
CONCLUSION: This is one of the first studies to estimate the prevalence of IPV exposure using a proxy measure (a problematic relationship) among underserved U.S. pregnant women. Its positive association with antenatal depression suggests the utility of screening for a problematic relationship using a two-item WAST and providing assistance to those with IPV exposure.
Language: en
LA - en SN - 1540-9996 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2023.1189 ID - ref1 ER -