La Violenza Domestica in Gravidanza: breve revisione della letteratura

Purpose This review of the literature considers the phenomenon of intimate partner violence (IPV) in pregnancy and aims to detect the prevalence, risk factors and consequences associated with this event. Method and Data collection In order to make the literature review on this subject, two digital databases were consulted in the month of September 2020: PubMed and Web of Science. The research in the two databases was carried out using the keywords “Pregnancy” and “Domestic Violence” with the boolean operator “AND” and applying filters on the date of publication, the full-text availability and the types of articles; by the end of the selection 18 articles were chosen and included, 7 from PubMed and 11 from Web of Science. Moreover, an article from Istat website and a paper from World Health Organization website were consulted. Main findings Studies included in the review show a great variability in the global prevalence of domestic violence perpetrated by intimate partner during pregnancy. The main risk factors associated to IPV are having previously experienced abuse and certain sociodemographic variables. Studies report positive correlations between IPV in pregnancy and increased risk of maternal and neonatal adverse health outcomes, such as: insufficient prenatal care, negative health behaviours, obstetric complications, mental disorders, low birth weight, preterm birth, small for gestational age. Studies focusing on barriers and facilitators for IPV detection highlight the importance for women to build a trusting relationship with their midwife in order to disclose domestic violence, the importance of routinely screen pregnant women for IPV and the need for a multidisciplinary approach in order to face situation of domestic violence. Conclusions Antenatal care provides an opportunity to enquire about IPV among women for whom barriers to accessing health care may exist, and also allows the possibility for follow-up with appropriate supportive interventions, such as counselling, empowerment interventions referral to community services, home visitation. However, the evidence nowadays available both on clinical enquiry and on strategies of support and intervention is lacking or uncertain, this is why further research on IPV in pregnancy is needed