Fear of an intimate partner and women's health in early pregnancy: Findings from the maternal health study

Abstract

Background: Intimate partner violence affects 1 in 4 women at some stage in their lives. Exposure to violence has short- and long-term consequences for women themselves and their children. The objective of this study was to examine associations between fear of an intimate partner and maternal physical and psychological morbidity in early pregnancy. Method: This paper reports baseline measures from a prospective pregnancy cohort study of 1,507 nulliparous women recruited at six public hospitals in Melbourne, Australia. Results: The study showed that 18.7 percent (280/1,497) of women reported being afraid of an intimate partner at some stage in their lives; 3.1 percent (47/1,497) were afraid i..