Disclosure and police reporting of intimate partner violence postpartum: a pilot study

Abstract

Objective: intimate partner violence is a significant health problem. Fear of retaliation and shame may prevent women from telling anyone about the violence. This study investigated the prevalence of disclosure and police reporting of intimate partner violence during the first year postpartum.

Design: a prospective longitudinal Swedish cohort study based on information from 2563 women who answered a postal questionnaire in early pregnancy and 12 months postpartum.

Findings: of 52 women who had been exposed to violence by their partner during the first year postpartum, four (8%) had filed a police report while 19 (37%) had not told anyone about the violence. All single women in the study had disclosed the violence to a friend, a relative or filed a police report.

Key conclusions: few women file a police report when they are being hit by their partner during the year after childbirth. Many women do not tell anyone that they have been hit.

Implications for practice: these data may encourage health professionals to undertake sensitive questioning about violence, giving an opening for support.