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June 25, 2003 Contact: Bonnie Widerburg (503) 731-4180 Technical contact: Ken Rosenberg, M.D. (503) 731-4507 Women report domestic violence before, during pregnancy Public health researchers in the state Department of Human Services (DHS) say new data about abuse to pregnant women underscore the serious impact of domestic violence in Oregon. "Domestic violence against pregnant women occurs several times each day in Oregon," said Ken Rosenberg, M.D., medical epidemiologist in DHS. "And it usually doesn’t begin or end with pregnancy."Rosenberg’s survey estimates that 2.6 percent of Oregon’s pregnant women were physically hurt by their husband or partner in 2000. It also estimates that 3.6 percent were physically hurt by their husband or partner before they became pregnant. Findings are based on the on results of the 2000 DHS Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), an ongoing survey of women who have recently given birth. A total of 2,100 new mothers participated, and the survey is designed to be representative of the entire population of Oregon women who recently gave birth. Findings include:  When asked,
"during your recent pregnancy did your husband push, hit, slap, kick, choke
or physically hurt you in any other way," 2.6 percent of respondents answered
yes. When extended to the entire population, this represents 1,126 new mothers. The survey
found that 0.8 percent of respondents, representing 346 new mothers, said someone
else had physically hurt them while they were pregnant. In addition,
3.8 percent of women respondents, representing 1,646 new mothers, reported being
physically hurt by their husband or partner in the 12 months before they became
pregnant. Another
1.6 percent of respondents, representing 693 new mothers, said they were physically
hurt by someone else in the 12 months before they became pregnant. Rosenberg said domestic abuse often begins before pregnancy and may continue after birth. He urged that health care workers screen all women for domestic violence. "Preventing, intervening and protecting women and infants from domestic violence is an important part of providing high-quality health care. We all need to continue promoting broad awareness of this issue among all Oregonians," Rosenberg said. "Adverse outcomes of domestic violence during pregnancy include miscarriage, early labor, low birth weight, or serious physical injury to the fetus or the mother," Rosenberg said. "After birth, the abuse can end up affecting the daily care the mother gives to her infant." DHS is working on domestic violence prevention in several ways: A department-wide
Domestic Violence Council is working to enhance the safety of domestic violence
victims by promoting a coordinated community response and looking at how services
are delivered; Regional
trainings are underway that teach health care workers how to screen, identify
and refer clients who show evidence of domestic violence; An ongoing
monitoring system is being established to gather information and assess patterns
of intimate partner violence in Oregon.Results of the entire PRAMS survey are available on the Web. |
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