Abuse during Pregnancy among African American & Afro-Caribbean Women

Faculty Mentor: Jacquelyn Campbell, PhD, RN, FAANIntimate Partner Violence (IPV) occurs in a relationship where one partner uses physical, emotional, or sexual abuse to control the other. IPV is “a serious criminal, social, and medical problem that has profound effects on a person’s health, wellbeing, and development,” (Morgan 2005 p 176). Moreover, evidence indicates that women are particularly vulnerable to domestic violence during pregnancy (O’Reilly 2007). The goal of this study is (1) to determine what factors place African American women at risk for IPV during pregnancy (2) to identify pregnancy outcomes related to IPV and (3) to compare the results between Afro-Caribbean women residing in the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI)