Rebecca Whiteman, NP, CA Clinic Collaborative Coordinator, Family Violence Prevention Fund, 383 Rhode Island Street Ste 304, San Francisco, CA 94103-5133, 415 252-8900, Rebecca@endabuse.org and Linda Chamberlain, PhD, MPH, Maternal and Child Health Department, Alaska Department of Health, 3601 C St., Suite 934, PO Box 240249, Anchorage, AK 99524-0249.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of delayed entry into prenatal care, pre-term labor, chorioamnionitis, depression, perinatal substance abuse and maternal mortality. Women who are abused around the time of pregnancy are more likely to have unintended pregnancies and teens who experience dating violence are significantly more likely to have rapid, repeat pregnancies. There is growing recognition of the need to address IPV as part of perinatal care to improve maternal/fetal outcomes. This session will describe current initiatives to integrate assessment and intervention for IPV into perinatal settings. A recent initiative with a national convenience sample of Healthy Start programs that serve culturally diverse, low-income perinatal patients will be described in detail. This session will examine data supporting the need for integrated assessment for IPV, other psychosocial issues, and behavioral risk factors in the perinatal setting. Presenters will make the case for lifetime abuse assessment with perinatal patients as a strategy to interrupt the cycle of violence in families and prevent child abuse. The hidden epidemic of pregnant teens who experience dating violence and IPV will also be examined. This session will: 1) Identify common barriers to implementing assessment for IPV in the perinatal setting; 2) Discuss strategies to integrate IPV assessment and intervention into existing perinatal practices; 3) Provide tools to facilitate comprehensive assessment for lifetime abuse and psychosocial issues; and, 4) Discuss promising, innovative practices to address IPV and lifetime abuse within the context of families and community.

Learning Objectives:

• 1)List three maternal/fetal health effects associated with intimate partner violence around the time of pregnancy
• 2)Describe two strategies to integrate assessment for lifetime abuse and other psychosocial issues into existing perinatal practices
• 3)Identify two innovative practices to educate perinatal clients, fathers, and communities about the impact of intimate partner violence and lifetime abuse on families

Keywords: Domestic Violence, Perinatal Health

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.