Intimate partner violence and pregnancy during the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in psychological sequelae in different populations, especially female victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) who are pregnant. Nonetheless, little is known about how IPV events and pregnancy are related to mental health outcomes for pregnant women during the pandemic, when this research took place. 155 pregnant women (82 primigravidas and 73 multigravidas women) were assessed using questionnaires for mental health status and IPV events. The results showed that primigravida women were less likely to experience intimate partner violence than multigravida women. Further, first time pregnancy was not related to symptoms of psychopathology nor perceived stress, even after controlling for the potential effect of IPV. In contrast, IPV was related to all measures of psychopathology, except for pregnancy-specific stress. The results provide information about the relationship of IPV, pregnancy and psychopathology during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, due to the study design (part of awider study), it is not yet possible to examine how IPV patterns with respect to pregnancy may have changed in response to the pandemic. In light of the relationship between IPV and mental health during the pandemic, assessment of IPV appears to be an important component in health assessments of pregnant women.

KEYWORDS:

• Intimate partner violence
• pregnancy
• primigravida
• COVID-19

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Natalia Bueso-Izquierdo

Natalia Bueso-Izquierdo earned her Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Granada (Spain). She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology and Anthropology at the University of Extremadura (Spain). She is a researcher in the lab for: ‘Applied Neuropsychology for Children, Adults and the Elderly’ at the University of Granada and for the research lab, ‘Stress, Health, and Emotional Well-being’ at the University of Extremadura. In 2009, she began her clinical and research track assisting boys and girls who had suffered domestic violence, as well as female survivors of intimate partner violence in a women’s association. Since 2011, she has developed her research track in the neuropsychological and brain functioning of male batterers. Her doctoral thesis was titled: ‘The mind of the male batterer: a neuroscientific perspective’.

Julia C. Daugherty

Julia C. Daugherty earned her Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Granada (Spain). She is a postdoctoral researcher in the Applied Neuropsychology for Children, Adults and the Elderly Research Lab at the Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center, where she studies the neuropsychological impact of intimate partner violence, forensic psychology, and cross-cultural neuropsychology.

Antonio E. Puente

Antonio E. Puente, was born in La Habana, Cuba and emigrated to the US in 1960. Puente received his Ph.D. from the University of Georgia. He has taught at University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) since 1981 and prior to that at St. George’s University School of Medicine. His primary teaching activities include Brain and Behavior, Clinical Neuropsychology and History of Psychology. Puente is founding director of UNCW’s Centro Hispano and his research focuses on the interface between culture and neuropsychology. Puente founded and edited the journals Neuropsychology Review and Journal of Interprofessional Education & Practice as well as a neuropsychology book series. He has published 10 books, 93 chapters and 123 scientific articles in several languages. Puente is Professor of Psychology at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, maintains a private practice in clinical neuropsychology, is the founder (2002) and co-director of mental health services at the Cape Fear Clinic, a bilingual multi-disciplinary health centre serving the indigent.

Puente served as president of the N.C. Psychological Association, N.C. Psychological Foundation, the Hispanic Neuropsychological Association, National Academy of Neuropsychology, and Society for Clinical Neuropsychology (Division 40 of APA) as well as President of the American Psychological Association.

Rafael A. Caparros-Gonzalez

Rafael A. Caparros-Gonzalez studies the impact of the environment (including perinatal stress, post-traumatic stress disorder after birth and the COVID-19 pandemic) on maternal, foetal and infant outcomes. Currently he holds a position as Assistant Professor at University of Granada (Department of Nursing). He has a BSc. Psychology (2012), a BSc. Nursing (1998), a BSc. Midwifery (2005), an MSc. in Research Designs (2013), a PhD in Psychology (2018) and a Pg.Dip. in Epidemiology & Clinical Research (2022).