NCJ Number
225473
Journal
Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma Volume: 17 Issue: 3 Dated: November 2008 Pages: 318-335
Date Published
November 2008
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This article presents preliminary data from a multi-method evaluation of an innovative program for pregnant and parenting battered women focusing on the overall health of mothers and their children, challenges to prenatal care, level of physical and nonphysical abuse in their lives, and their perceptions of that abuse.
Abstract
The results of this study suggest that pregnant and parenting battered women have complex needs that call for medical and social service providers’ attention. Participants reported significant levels of both physical and nonphysical abuse and they experienced a range of barriers, such as homelessness, fear of their partners, and lack of access to prenatal care. Despite study limitations, the study illustrates some of the experiences of pregnant and parenting women experiencing domestic violence and highlights issues that service providers should attend to with this group of clients. Domestic violence is one of the leading health risks to women in the United States. For pregnant and parenting women living with an abusive partner the risk to their safety and the outcome of their pregnancies, as well as the risk to their children, increases dramatically. This article presents survey and open-ended interview data from participants in an innovative program for pregnant and parenting battered women and examines the health status of mothers and newborns, their experience and perception of both physical and nonphysical abuse, and their challenges to prenatal care. Tables and references