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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Michele R. Decker, BA, School of Public Health, Maternal and Child Health, University of North Carolina, CB#7445, Rosenau Hall 401, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7445, 919-960-8496, mdecker@email.unc.edu, Sandra L. Martin, PhD, Department of MCH, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, CB#7445, 401 Rosenau Hall, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7445, and Kathryn E. (Beth) Moracco, PhD, MPH, Department of Maternal and Child Health, and Injury Prevention Research Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB#7445, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7445.
Objectives: This study examines whether abused women’s risk of homicide changes when they become pregnant, and how their risk of homicide before pregnancy may influence their leaving the abusive relationship when they become pregnant. Methods: Fifty-one prenatal patients in abusive relationships with intimate partners before the onset of their pregnancies were interviewed. The Danger Assessment was administered to assess the women’s risk of homicide during two time periods: the year before pregnancy and during the first six months of pregnancy. Results: The average risk of homicide for abused women significantly decreased with the onset of pregnancy, however 17% of the sample experienced an increase in homicide risk during pregnancy. Twenty-three (45%) of the women left or otherwise limited their abusive relationship close to the time they became pregnant. Moreover, the women who left their abusers were at higher risk for homicide before pregnancy than were the women who remained with their abusers during pregnancy. Conclusions: Risk of homicide from intimate partner violence does not appear to change in a systematic way when women become pregnant. However, the onset of pregnancy may help to motivate some of the most severely abused women (those at greatest risk of homicide) to leave their abusers. These results are discussed in terms of their implications for public health programs and policies.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Pregnancy, Violence
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.