Incidence of postpartum abuse in women with a history of abuse during pregnancy

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether women with a history of physical abuse during pregnancy have an increased incidence of physical abuse in the 3 months after delivery. DESIGN: Follow-up survey. SETTINGS: A primary care community-based prenatal clinic, private obstetricians9 and family physicians9 offices in a large city, family physicians9 offices in a small town and a tertiary care university teaching hospital. PATIENTS: Thirty-six women identified in a study of physical abuse during pregnancy; 30 (83.3%) agreed to participate. OUTCOME MEASURES: Number of incidents of physical abuse during the 3 months before conception, during the first, second and third trimesters of pregnancy and during the 3 months after delivery. General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) score to determine psychologic distress and predict psychiatric morbidity. Interview to diagnose psychiatric disorders according to defined criteria. RESULTS: Twenty-seven (90.0%) of the 30 participants reported a total of 57 incidents of abuse in the 3 months after delivery. For each period, the mean number of incidents of abuse per woman abused in that period was calculated and was found to be significantly higher for the postpartum period (2.1) than for the 3 months before conception (1.5) or for the first, second or third trimesters (1.4, 1.3 and 1.1) (F = 18.87, p