Intimate Partner Violence During Pregnancy and Early Offspring Development: A Prospective Birth Cohort Study

Abstract

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) during pregnancy is linked to several unfavorable outcomes for both mothers and babies. However, few studies have examined its connections to early infant neurodevelopment, and the underlying processes of these connections remain unclear.

Methods: Our research was conducted within a prospective birth cohort of 3007 mother-child pairs from March 2018 to July 2023. Participants were followed from pregnancy until the offspring were 12 months old. We collected data on IPV during pregnancy, prenatal depression, postpartum depression, umbilical cord blood inflammatory level, and the Ages and Stages Questionnaire, Third Edition (ASQ-3) and used multiple logistic regression analysis to examine the relationship between IPV during pregnancy and children's neurodevelopmental delay.

Results: In our study cohort, 9.8% of pregnant women experienced IPV during pregnancy, and 8.7% experienced psychological violence. Psychological violence was associated with increased relative risks of failure in communication, problem-solving, and personal-social domains of the ASQ-3. The corresponding 95% CIs were 1.95 (1.24-3.07), 2.10 (1.25-3.52), and 1.97 (1.29-3.02), respectively. Moreover, IPV during pregnancy combined with depression further exacerbated these risks. In addition, 19.6% of the association between IPV during pregnancy and prenatal depression was mediated by cord blood inflammatory indices in relation to the ASQ-3 failure risk.

Conclusions: This prospective birth cohort study indicates that the significant negative impact of psychological violence on the offspring's neurodevelopmental delay depends on the intensity of psychological stress, with umbilical cord blood inflammation being a potential underlying biological mechanism.

Keywords: Infant health; Inflammation; Intimate partner violence; Neurodevelopment; Prenatal depression; Psychological stress.