Perinatal morbidity associated with violence experienced by pregnant women☆,☆☆,★,★★
Section snippets
Study cohort
The study population consisted of women examined at The University of Texas Medical Branch low-risk prenatal clinic in Galveston, Texas, between May 8 and Dec. 1, 1989. This facility serves an indigent, low-risk population. Women with serious medical illnesses, including diabetes mellitus, chronic hypertension, seizures, connective tissue disorders, heart disease, kidney problems, or sickle cell anemia, are referred to a different facility. A low-risk patient population was selected to limit
RESULTS
Thirty-two of the 440 subjects (7.2%) reported experiencing violence in the current pregnancy whereas 352 women (80.0%) denied ever being assaulted. There were no differences in age, financial status, employment status, highest level of education achieved, use of alcohol, average estimated gestational age at entry into care, prevalence of anemia, or mean weight gain between these two groups (Tables I and II). Victims of violence were more likely to be divorced as opposed to single or married,
COMMENT
This study is one of the first to examine the relationship between assault during the current pregnancy and perinatal outcome with the use of medical record documentation. Although our results should be considered preliminary because of the small sample size, we demonstrated that physical assault of pregnant women is associated with an increased risk of both preterm labor and chorioamnionitis.
Our findings of an increased risk of preterm labor in assaulted women are similar to those reported in
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Cited by (0)
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From the Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Preventive Medicine and Community Health, The University of Texas Medical Branch.
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Supported by the John Sealy Memorial Fund.
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Reprint requests: Abbey Berenson, MD, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555-0587.
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