Prevalence of Domestic Violence among Pregnant Women: A Cross-sectional Study from a Tertiary Care Centre, Puducherry, India

Introduction: Domestic Violence (DV) during pregnancy is a serious public health issue which threatens maternal and foetal health outcomes. Routine antenatal care provides an opportunity for identifying women experiencing violence during pregnancy. Aim: To evaluate the prevalence of DV among pregnant women so that foetal complications can be prevented and adequate measures can be taken to protect mothers from DV. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from 1st October to 30th November 2016 at the Outpatient Department (OPD) of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute, Puducherry, India. A validated modified version of Abuse Assessment Screen questionnaire was given to 200 pregnant women at their first hospital visit. A statistical analysis was conducted using Chi-square test and Fisher's-Exact Test in MS Excel 2007, version 12.0. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results: A total of 200 consecutive pregnant women at the first visit to hospital were enrolled in the study. Prevalence of DV was reported to be 6.5%. Out of which maximum (2.5%) reported verbal abuse. There was no reporting of sexual abuse. Educational status showed influence on DV. Economic status too had great influence on DV which was more prevalent among proverty strucken people (19.4%). There were 7.9% incidences for DV in the age group <25 year (p-value=0.3). Prevalence was slightly more in rural areas (8.7%) than in urban areas (4.2%) (p-value=0.2). With respect to education, women with high school and above had lower incidence of DV (4.8%). Conclusion: The pregnant woman should be continually provided with a non judgemental, sensitive and supportive service during their pregnancies. The study establishes that women in the present environment experience DV during pregnancy and more in younger age group. This is also more common in women with lower literacy and with lower socio-economic status.