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Risk factors for intimate partner violence during pregnancy and postpartum

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Abstract

This longitudinal investigation examined potential risk factors for intimate partner violence (IPV) among women during pregnancy and 6 weeks postpartum. A sample of 180 pregnant women was collected in order to investigate (1) whether associations between partner alcohol misuse, partner jealousy, partner suspicion of infidelity, and stress were associated with IPV victimization; (2) the indirect effects of alcohol misuse on these relationships; and (3) factors related to changes in IPV victimization over time. At baseline, partner alcohol misuse was associated with each type of IPV victimization and the combination of partner alcohol misuse, partner jealousy, and partner suspicion of infidelity was most strongly associated with severe physical victimization. Partner alcohol misuse mediated the relationship between partner jealousy and psychological and severe physical victimization. At follow-up, partner jealousy and stress were related to women’s psychological victimization and partner alcohol misuse was related to women’s severe physical victimization. Findings suggest that partner alcohol misuse is a risk factor for women’s IPV victimization during pregnancy and jealousy and that stress may increase risk for some types of IPV. Findings also suggest that intervention should target parents early in pregnancy in order to reduce the risk for future IPV.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by funds granted from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (F31 AA016706-02, K24AA019707). These data were presented in part at the annual meeting of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Toronto, Canada, November 12, 2011.

Conflict of interest

None of the authors have a conflict of interest pertaining to the submission of this manuscript for review.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Prevention and Community Research and The Consultation Center, Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, 389 Whitney Avenue, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA

    Julianne C. Hellmuth

  2. University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA

    Kristina Coop Gordon, Gregory L. Stuart & Todd M. Moore

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  1. Julianne C. Hellmuth
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  2. Kristina Coop Gordon
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  3. Gregory L. Stuart
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Correspondence to Julianne C. Hellmuth.

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Hellmuth, J.C., Gordon, K.C., Stuart, G.L. et al. Risk factors for intimate partner violence during pregnancy and postpartum. Arch Womens Ment Health 16, 19–27 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-012-0309-8

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