University of Virginia Health System

U.VA. Study Shows Intervention During Pregnancy Reduces Violence Against Women

The results of the study, published in the February issue of Research in Nursing & Health, show that abused pregnant women who were offered interventional counseling reported significantly less violence in the year following delivery than those who weren't given the intervention.

Violence against pregnant women is recognized as a major health problem, said Barbara Parker, professor and director of research for the U.Va. School of Nursing and principal investigator of the study. It's associated with low infant birthweight, infections, delay in entering prenatal care and the use of drugs and alcohol. We wanted to find a way to help pregnant women in this situation to begin to take control and stop the cycle of abuse.

The study, conducted at the University of Virginia Medical Center and Texas Woman's University, involved 199 women who reported physical or sexual assault by their male partners in the previous year. During pre-natal visits, 132 women received three one-on-one sessions by a specially trained nurse who provided information on the cycle of domestic violence and risk of fatal violence and explained how to develop a safety plan, apply for legal protection orders and file criminal charges. The women were also given specially designed brochures (if it was deemed safe) that contained information on domestic violence and phone numbers for the local shelter and police.

After each session, and in two subsequent sessions at six and twelve months following delivery, the women were asked a series of questions from two proven instruments that measure the severity and frequency of abuse. Overall, women in the intervention group reported significantly less ongoing physical and non-physical abuse than the 67 women who were not given the counseling.

This is the only tested intervention study to date for abused pregnant women, and it was successful, Parker said. We found that our intervention started a process that empowered these women to take steps to reduce or end the abuse. Once they opened up to us about their abuse they became more likely to discuss it with family and friends and create a support network. And when women are pregnant, they're more likely to address the problem because they're concerned about the health and well-being of their unborn child.

The Women's Place at the University of Virginia Health System has made the intervention available to any woman receiving pre-natal care who is in an abusive situation. Health care providers in all settings should consider the possibility of abuse whenever pregnant women enter their care, Parker said. We're hoping that as a result of this study, other hospitals and clinics will adopt this program as well.

The study was funded by the Centers for Disease Control.

For more information, call Barbara Parker, professor and director of research for the U.Va. School of Nursing, at (804) 982-1976. Note: she will be out of town from January 27 – 31 but will be reachable through her office number.

January 21, 1999