The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #60285

Cecilia Casanueva, Department of MCH, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, CB#7445, 401 Rosenau Hall, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7445, 919-962-4155, casanuev@email.unc.edu and Sandra L. Martin, PhD, Dept of Maternal & Child Health, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, CB#7400, 401 Rosenau Hall, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7400.

The purpose of this research was to examine whether infants born to women who were victims of partner violence during pregnancy were more likely than infants born to a comparison group of non-victimized women to be at increased risk of maternal child abuse. Data analyzed was from a longitudinal investigation of the impact of partner violence during pregnancy. This study recruited 88 pregnant women during prenatal care (half of whom experienced violence during pregnancy), and followed them until their infants were a year old. Partner violence was assessed using various standardized instruments including the Conflict Tactics Scales 2 (CTS2). The women’s potential for child abuse was assessed using the Child Abuse Potential Inventory (CAPI) during the second interview (one month after delivery). Multivariable modeling procedures was used to model the women’s potential for child abuse scores on the CAPI as a function of their experiences of partner violence and potentially confounding sociodemographic variables. Results: The association between violence and CAPI scores controlling for sociodemographic risk factors was positive and significant (r= 0.32, p=0.003). The odds of being at high risk for child abuse are more than double for women who were victims of partner violence compared to non-victimized women. Higher CAPI scores of the victimized women are produced mainly by the “Distress” and “Problems with Others” scales in those items that reflect fear, worries that their needs will not be met, feeling alone and perceiving that others have made their life unhappy and hard.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of the session, participants will be able to:
• Discuss the link between women's experiences of violence during pregnancy and their risk of child abuse.
• Recognize the determinants of violence victims’ high scores on the CAPI.
• Prioritize the areas where interventions should focus to reduce the risk of child abuse when the mother is an IPV victim.

Keywords: Violence, Women

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.