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. 2016;37(5):583-94.
doi: 10.1080/07399332.2015.1037444. Epub 2015 Apr 11.

Intimate Partner Violence Among Mothers of Sick Newborns in Ghana

Kathryn Spangenberg  1 , Priscilla Wobil  2 , Cassandra L Betts  3 , Theodore F Wiesner  4 , Katherine J Gold  5
Affiliations

Intimate Partner Violence Among Mothers of Sick Newborns in Ghana

Kathryn Spangenberg et al. Health Care Women Int. 2016.

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major public health problem estimated to affect 15%-71% of women worldwide. We sought to elicit IPV risks among mothers of sick newborns in Ghana. As part of a broader study on postpartum depression, we conducted semistructured surveys of 153 women in a mother-baby unit, assessing demographics, depression, social support, and IPV with the present partner. Forty-six percent of mothers reported some form of violence, mostly emotional (34%), followed by physical (17%), and sexual (15%). The study highlights the frequency of perinatal IPV and the associated risk factors of depression and poor social support.

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Figure 1
Figure 1
Type of intimate partner violence reported (total n=153)
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