# Associations between domestic violence and psychosomatic symptoms and health behaviors during pregnancy and the puerperium: a comparative cross-sectional study

## TL;DR

This study finds that domestic violence during pregnancy is linked to higher rates of postpartum depression and unhealthy behaviors like smoking.

## Contribution

The study provides new evidence on the association between domestic violence and adverse health outcomes in Mexican women during pregnancy and postpartum.

## Key findings

- 31.5% of women screened positive for domestic violence during the postpartum period.
- Abused women had higher odds of postpartum depression and tobacco use.
- Adverse perinatal outcomes were common but not statistically significant.

## Abstract

According to the WHO, violence is the intentional use of force or power against oneself, another person, or a community, causing injury, death, or harm. National data from 2021 reveal that as many as 70.1% of women in Mexico have experienced some form of violence. Pregnancy represents a period of heightened vulnerability, with negative impacts on material and infant health.

This cross-sectional observational study was conducted on women during the immediate postpartum period. Domestic violence was assessed using the Woman Abuse Screening Tool (WAST) scale, the Affective Bonding and Prenatal Adjustment Assessment Scale survey, and postpartum depression was evaluated through the Centre for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D) scale.

Four hundred women were included using the short version of the WAST scale, with 31.5% (126) testing positive for the screening questions. Women who experienced abuse showed higher odds of postpartum depression (OR = 2.95; 95% IC: 1.87–4.63; p = 0.000) and tobacco use (OR = 2.28; 95% IC: 1.31–3.94; p = 0.003). Adverse perinatal effects, such as preterm delivery (35.7%), admission to intensive care (40.5%), and low birth weight (19.8%), were frequent but without statistical significance.

One-third of the pregnant women in the study suffered intimate partner violence, mainly psychological and economic. Unwanted pregnancy, lack of emotional bonding, postpartum depression, alcohol/smoking, and low education levels were frequent factors.