Is domestic violence related to early child mortality? Evidence from north India.

This study examined the effects of domestic violence around pregnancy period on immediate birth outcomes such as pregnancy loss fetal deaths and neonatal mortality as well as long-term effects on child survival in Uttar Pradesh India a setting characterized by very low womens autonomy and high levels of violence within marriage. The study is unique from several perspectives This study is based on representative samples of general population rather than the samples from clinic facilities the settings of the majority studies on the relationship between violence and pregnancy outcomes. The earlier studies gathered information on domestic violence from womens responses or from clinical examination records or police reports. This study used the responses on wife beating and abuses from the husbands the principal aggressor. Considering potential selectivity bias we have used statistical adjustments with propensity scores for balancing on the differentials in the known covariates for bias reduction. (excerpt)