Domestic Violence and Maternal and Child Health

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND MATERNAL CHILD HEALTH is one of the first books to evaluate the impact of intimate partner abuse on maternal and child health. New abuse patterns against pregnant women and their unborn babies and children are described based on quantitative and qualitative findings from the Stalking and Violence Project (SVP), case studies from a clinical psychologist's private practice, and a review of the literature. (See Appendix A­ Research Methods and Appendix B-Study Results, Tables 1-9). Intimate partner abuse is prevalent and can endanger the lives of pregnant women, their fetuses and their children. The long-term societal impacts of violence are significant for the cycle of violence can be transmitted one from generation to the next. Despite the re­ search studies that have been conducted in this area, little is known about the risk factors for partner abuse and the impact of that abuse on maternal child health and adult health. More research needs to be done about how nurses, physicians, social workers, and therapists can better diagnose and treat partner violence during and after preg­ nancy. Effective interventions by the police, courts, and legislators also need further investigation. One of the central assumptions in this book is that partner abuse is a patterned set of behaviors developed by the batterer to ex­ ert power over women in intimate and non-intimate relationships.