Intimate partner violence and sexual coercion among pregnant women in India: relationship with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder

Abstract

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is prevalent in most parts of the world. It is also prevalent during pregnancy.

Methods: This study assessed the prevalence of IPV during pregnancy and evaluated its relationship with mental health outcomes, including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Pregnant women (n=203) attending an antenatal clinic in a public hospital in Bangalore were assessed for presence of IPV as well as depressive, somatic, PTSD symptoms and life satisfaction.

Results: Self-reported physical violence in the last year was reported by 14% of women, psychological abuse by 15%, and sexual coercion by 9%. One-half of these women reported ongoing abuse during pregnancy. Depression, somatic, and PTSD symptoms were higher in those with a history of abuse or sexual coercion, and life satisfaction was poorer in those with any form of violence. Among those reporting a history of sexual coercion, severity of violence was related to increased psychiatric morbidity. Alcohol abuse in the spouse was a predictor of the presence and severity of abuse.

Limitations: The study was conducted in a single clinic in southern India which is a large country with very diversified populations.

Conclusion: The experience of intimate partner violence and its mental health consequences are quite prevalent in India which is a culture where gender disparities are normative and pregnancy is a particularly vulnerable period.