Search is Powered by Google
Pregnancy / Obstetrics News

Physical Abuse And Premature Births Linked

Main Category: Pregnancy / Obstetrics
Also Included In: Pediatrics / Children's Health;  Women's Health / Gynecology
Article Date: 25 Feb 2008 - 2:00 PDT

email icon email to a friend   printer icon printer friendly   write icon view / write opinions   rate icon rate article
Current Article Ratings:

Patient / Public:4 stars

4 (2 votes)

Health Professional:5 stars

5 (1 votes)

Article Opinions: 0 posts

Premature birth can have serious effects on the development and growth of children. In many parts of the world, preterm deliveries are increasing in frequency. In a study published in the February 2008 issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, researchers from the University of Porto Medical School and the Hospital S. João, Porto, Portugal, found that there was a strong link between physical abuse during pregnancy and premature births.

Using a well-validated questionnaire, the Abuse Assessment Screen, 2660 Caucasian women consecutively delivered of singleton births at the Hospital S. João were surveyed to assess their experiences during pregnancy. This survey captured demographic, behavioral and obstetric data, including the type and frequency of physical abuse, if any.

Twenty-four percent of mothers of preterm newborn infants had experienced physical abuse during pregnancy compared with 8% of mothers of term newborn infants. Violence was associated with preterm birth even after controlling for age, marital status, education, income, parity, planned pregnancy, antenatal care, smoking, alcohol, and illicit drugs use.

Writing in the article, Teresa Rodrigues, MD, states, "The main strengths of this study are its large sample size, the high participation rate; the inclusion of women from virtually all social and economic strata and a broad range of pregnancy and delivery risk profiles. Assessment of violence exposure took place with guaranteed privacy, through face-to-face interviews that used highly trained personnel." She emphasizes that women are not generally evaluated during pregnancy for physical abuse and that this study suggests that physicians should recognize such abuse as a risk factor for preterm delivery and address this issue with patients.

----------------------------
Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.
----------------------------

The article is "Physical abuse during pregnancy and preterm delivery" by Teresa Rodrigues, MD, Lúcia Rocha, MPH, and Henrique Barros, MD, PhD. It will appear in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Volume 198, Issue 2 (February 2008) published by Elsevier.

Source: Pamela Poppalardo
Elsevier Health Sciences




Weekly Newsletters Daily News Alerts
Home About Us News Licensing Free Website Feeds Free Tools & Content Links Tell a Friend Accessibility Help / FAQ Article Submission Contact Us
Psychiatry Urology
Bipolar Schizophrenia

Sign up to receive newsletters / news alerts
MedReader RSS Reader


Labor and Delivery image Labor and Delivery

After nine months of doctor's visits, large clothing, physical discomfort and joyous expectation, a mother finally reaches the last stages of pregnancy- labor and delivery. Join our panel of specialists as they take us step by step through the process of labor and delivery...

Pregnancy and Asthma image Pregnancy and Asthma

Controlling asthma during pregnancy is extremely important, for the health of both mother and baby. Listen to experts explain what can happen if a woman's persistent asthma goes unchecked in the nine months before delivery...

View more videos...