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Risk of Spontaneous Preterm Birth in Relation to Maternal Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence During Pregnancy in Peru

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Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is increasingly recognized as an important cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity. We assessed the relation between IPV and risk of spontaneous preterm birth (PTB) among Peruvian women. The study was conducted among 479 pregnant women who delivered a preterm singleton infant (<37 weeks gestation) and 480 controls (≥37 weeks gestation). Participants’ exposure to physical and emotional violence during pregnancy was collected during in-person interviews conducted after delivery and while patients were in hospital. Odds ratios (aOR) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) were estimated from logistic regression models. The prevalence of any IPV during pregnancy was 52.2 % among cases and 34.6 % among controls. Compared with those reporting no exposure to IPV during pregnancy, women reporting any exposure had a 2.1-fold increased risk of PTB (95 % CI 1.59–2.68). The association was attenuated slightly after adjusting for maternal age, pre-pregnancy weight, and other covariates (OR = 1.99; 95 % CI 1.52–2.61). Emotional abuse in the absence of physical violence was associated with a 1.6-fold (95 % CI 1.21–2.15) increased risk of PTB. Emotional and physical abuse during pregnancy was associated with a 4.7-fold increased risk of PTB (95 % CI 2.74–7.92). Associations of similar directions and magnitudes were observed when PTB were sub-categorized according to clinical presentation or severity. IPV among pregnant women is common and is associated with an increased risk of PTB. Our findings and those of others support recent calls for coordinated global health efforts to prevent violence against women.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities (T37-MD-001449) and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Institute of Child Health and Human Development (1R01-HD-059835). The NIH had no further role in study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; and in the decision to submit the paper for publication. The authors wish to thank the staff of the Hospital Nacional dos de Mayo, Instituto Especializado Materno Perinatal, and Hospital Edgardo Rebagliati Martins for their technical assistance with this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Postgraduate School, Universidad San Martin de Porres, Lima, Peru

    Sixto E. Sanchez

  2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hospital Nacional dos de Mayo, Lima, Peru

    Sixto E. Sanchez

  3. Multidisciplinary International Research Training Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Andrea V. Alva, David Yanez, Bizu Gelaye & Michelle A. Williams

  4. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hospital Edgardo Rebagliati Martins, Lima, Peru

    Guillermo Diez Chang

  5. Center for Perinatal Studies, Swedish Medical Center, Seattle, WA, USA

    Chungfang Qiu & Michelle A. Williams

  6. Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Kresge Building, 9th Floor, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Bizu Gelaye & Michelle A. Williams

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  1. Sixto E. Sanchez
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  2. Andrea V. Alva
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  7. Michelle A. Williams
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Correspondence to Michelle A. Williams.

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Sanchez, S.E., Alva, A.V., Diez Chang, G. et al. Risk of Spontaneous Preterm Birth in Relation to Maternal Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence During Pregnancy in Peru. Matern Child Health J 17, 485–492 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-012-1012-0

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