A case control study of married women under the violence during pregnancy in Tabriz

Abstract

Introduction: Violence against women is a global phenomenon and is different according to the political, social and cultural characteristics of each location. According to estimates by World Health Organization, 45 percent of women suffer from domestic violence. Considering the high prevalence of domestic violence and its physical, psychological and social adverse effects, determining the risk factors and early diagnosis of this problem were important. The aim of this study is to determine the risk factors of domestic violence and its relationship with pregnancy outcome. Methods: This case control study was conducted on women with complain of domestic violence who referred to forensic medicine center in Tabriz from august 2010 to august 2011. 253 women who referred considered as case group and 406 women considered as controls who were divided into two groups, 202 cases of them has complains other than domestic violence and 203 cases of them were among general population who referred to health centers for primary health care. Data were collected by a valid and reliable questionnaire and analyzed by SPSS software version 13 and chi-square test. P value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Female were different significantly regarding of literacy level, job and income (p<0.001) and case group had lower level of education. The frequency of domestic violence in pregnancy was more in case group (p<0.001). The adverse effects of violence which were mentioned by pregnant women in case group were bleeding (29 cases), premature rupture of membrane (11 cases), preterm delivery (6 cases) and abortion (7 cases). In this study, 30 cases of physical violence were reported during pregnancy that 10 cases lead to vaginal bleeding. Conclusion: Education, employment and independent income in married women are the most important factors that can protect women against domestic violence and it should be considered in the future planning of the country and also in major policy. é 2013 All Rights Reserved.