"It is like a curse". The lived experiences of the intersection of intergenerational violence, pregnancy, and intimate partner violence among urban Wisconsin Indigenous women

Abstract

Background: Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a significant public health concern that disproportionately impacts Indigenous American women more than any other ethnic/racial group in the United States.

Purpose: This study aims to inform the work of nurses and allied health professionals by providing insight into the lived realities of Indigenous women in urban areas and how IPV manifests in the lives of Indigenous women.

Methods: Postcolonial and Indigenous feminist frameworks informed this qualitative study. Using thematic analysis, we analyzed data from semi-structured individual interviews with 34 Indigenous women in large urban areas in the upper Midwest.

Findings: This manuscript discusses one broad theme: experiences of IPV during pregnancy and the devastating impacts on women and their children in the form of intergenerational trauma. Under this broad theme, we identified two sub-themes: impacts of IPV on individual pregnancy experiences and linkages to adverse pregnancy-related outcomes related to physical IPV during the childbearing years.

Conclusion: This Indigenous-led study informs the development of effective Indigenous-specific interventions to minimize barriers to accessing prenatal care and help-seeking when experiencing IPV to reduce the devastating consequences for Indigenous women and their families.

Keywords: Domestic violence; Indigenous women; Intergenerational violence; Intimate partner violence; Sexual violence.