Characteristics of women who have suffered from violence during pregnancy

IntroductionThe problem of violence is an important issue for public health. The literature reports that the incidence of violence during the pregnancy is about 1%–25%. Forms of violence that are most often used against pregnant women include physical, psychological and sexual violence.AimTo determine characteristics of women experiencing violence during pregnancy.Material and methodsOne hundred and fourteen women, residents of the province of Lublin, were examined for characteristics of pregnant women experiencing violence. The method used in the study was diagnostic sounding. The technique used was a questionnaire developed by the authors. Participation in the study was voluntary and anonymous. The results were statistically analyzed.Results and discussionThe analysis showed that 59.7% of the women studied experienced violence during pregnancy. The most common form of violence against the pregnant women was psychological violence (72.5%) and the rarest one was economic violence (26.7%). These percentage differences reached statistical significance (p=.02). Moreover, the statistically significant correlation was found between experiencing violence and age (p=.008), level of education (p=.0001), marital status (p=.03) and the occupational activity of examined women (p=.0001).ConclusionsPsychological and physical violence are the most common forms of violence used against the pregnant women. Unmarried, young women with a low level of education are the group of women who most often experience violence and due to this fact they should be taken into specialist care.