Intimate partner violence during the first pregnancy: A comparison between adolescents and adults in an urban area of Iran

Exercise Addiction and Intimate Partner Violence: The Role of Impulsivity, Self-Esteem, and Emotional Dependence

Given the scarcity of studies linking exercise addiction to intimate partner violence, the present study aims to analyze the relationship between these variables and examine the potential mediating roles of emotional dependence, impulsivity, and self-esteem. This is a non-experimental, cross-sectional correlational design study. The sample comprised 887 university students (86% women, mean age 20.82 years, SD = 3.63). Elevated levels of exercise addiction were associated with increased impulsivity, emotional dependence, and exerted violence, as well as decreased self-esteem and perceived violence. Mediation models were tested, explaining 7% of the variance in received violence, 13% of the variance in exerted violence, and 6% of the variance in perceived violence. Higher levels of exercise addiction were linked to increased received and exerted violence and decreased perceived violence, attributed to the positive impact of exercise addiction on emotional dependence. This study highlights the mediating roles of self-esteem and impulsivity in the relationship between exercise addiction and partner violence. Identifying risk or vulnerability factors such as emotional dependence, impulsivity, and self-esteem related to exercise addiction and interpersonal partner violence is especially relevant for designing and implementing preventive interventions in the general young population.

The prevalence of intimate partner violence among Iranian pregnant women: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Intimate partner violence against pregnant women is an important public health concern and human rights issue. According to the various findings of previous studies, this study was conducted to assess the pooled prevalence of intimate partner violence against Iranian women.

METHODS

In this systematic review and meta-analysis, a literature search was conducted in databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, MagIran, and Scientific Information Database without a time limit. Heterogeneity was assessed by Cochrane Q test statistics and the I2 test, and the results were incorporated into a random effects model to estimate the prevalence of intimate partner violence. Data analysis was performed using R software version 4.3.2.

RESULTS

The overall prevalence of intimate partner violence was reported to be 51.5% (95% confidence interval (CI) 45.0-58.1), and the prevalence rate of physical, sexual, and psychological intimate partner violence was 18.0% (95% CI 15.1-20.9), 22.1% (95% CI 17.7-26.60) and 43.2% (95% CI 36.6-49.8), respectively. The lowest level of physical, sexual, and emotional intimate partner violence rate was observed in district 1 of Iran (includes Tehran, the capital of Iran and the surrounding provinces). The rate of physical and sexual intimate partner violence prevalence decreased with the increased mean age of the husband (P=0.005) and the mean age of the wife (P=0.035), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Studies included in this review report that more than half of Iranian women experience violence during pregnancy. In order to prevent adverse maternal and neonatal consequences, it is necessary to identify these women and introduce them to support centres.

Technology-free predictors of preterm birth in singleton women with threatened preterm labor: a prospective cohort study

Background

Prediction of preterm birth is still a challenge due to its multiple etiologies. This prospective cohort study aimed to determine the technology-free predictors of preterm birth in singleton women with threatened preterm labor.

Methods

This prospective cohort study was performed on 371 singleton women with gestational age of 23^+ 6 to 36^+ 4 weeks hospitalized for threatened preterm labor. The data were collected using a questionnaire including demographic characteristics, medical and maternal history, as well as the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), and the WHO’s questionnaire of Violence against Women (VAW). The participants were followed-up until childbirth. The predictors were determined using multivariate logistic regression.

Results

Preterm birth occurred in 51% of women. Seven variables were determined as predictors; rupture of membranes [adjusted odds ratio 11.7, 95% confidence interval 5.4 to 25.6], cervical dilation [AOR 4.1, 95% CI 2.0 to 7.0], gravidity ≥6 [AOR 27.4, 95%CI 2.8 to 264.3], psychological violence during pregnancy [AOR 2.0, 95% CI 1.1 to 3.2], medical problems in pregnancy onset [AOR 1.7, 95% CI 1.1 to 2.8], vaginal bleeding/spotting [AOR 2.1, 95% CI 1.2 to 4.0] and woman age ≤ 19 [AOR 2.2, 95% CI 1.1 to 4.5]. The proportion of variance explained by all these factors was 33.6%.

Conclusions

The technology-free factors seems to have moderate power in preterm birth prediction in singleton pregnant women hospitalized for threatened preterm labor. However, these results are discoveries without verification or validation and need to be confirmed by generalizable studies.

Intimate Partner Violence During Pregnancy in Turkey: Determinants From Nationwide Surveys

Domestic violence has severe consequences for women, both psychologically and physiologically. Violence during pregnancy is even riskier, endangering women's lives and the lives of their fetuses. A nationwide survey in Turkey in 2014 revealed that 7% of women who have experienced a pregnancy were exposed to physical violence perpetrated by an intimate partner during pregnancy. In this study, the risk and protective factors for this particular type of violence and how it can be addressed in Turkey are discussed using nationally representative data for the first time. Data are obtained from surveys conducted in 2008 and 2014 on domestic violence against women. The analysis is based on multinomial regression models in which the dependent variable consists of three groups of women: those who have not been exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV), those whose have been exposed to physical IPV but not during pregnancy, and those who have been exposed to physical IPV during pregnancy. In this way, the factors that have a significant effect on this severe form of violence can be identified. Our findings show that earlier age of first intercourse; the nature of first intercourse; men's affairs; men's controlling behaviors over women; men's use of alcohol, drugs, or gambling; and experience with violence in the family are all significant factors for IPV during pregnancy. Women's empowerment and the restructuring of the unequal power relations between women and men should be targeted to eradicate the problem in the long run. It is concluded that, for the time being, it is crucial to ensure that legal procedures for domestic violence function well and that health institutions are key components in identifying pregnant women exposed to violence and in guiding them toward institutional and social support mechanisms.

Prevalence of Intimate Partner Violence Among Intimate Partners During the Perinatal Period: A Narrative Literature Review

Intimate partner violence (IPV) affects individuals and families from all backgrounds, regardless of their ethnicity, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, or religion. Pregnancy and childbirth could be a time of vulnerability to violence because of changes in physical, emotional, social, and economic demands and needs. Prevalence of IPV against women during the perinatal period is increasingly researched and documented. However, evidence on IPV prevalence among intimate partners as well as on the course of IPV over the perinatal period is scarce. The purpose of this review was to provide a narrative synthesis of the existing literature regarding the prevalence estimates of IPV among intimate partners over the perinatal period. Through this review, we also gained better insight into associated factors, as well as the various forms of IPV. Of the 766 studies assessing prevalence estimates identified, 86 were included, where 80 studies focused on unidirectional IPV (i.e., perpetrated by men against women) and six studies investigated bidirectional IPV (i.e., IPV perpetrated by both partners). Most of the included studies reported lower overall prevalence rates for unidirectional IPV postpartum (range: 2-58%) compared to pregnancy (range: 1.5-66.9%). Psychological violence was found to be the most prevalent form of violence during the entire perinatal period. Studies on bidirectional IPV mostly reported women's perpetration to be almost as high as that of their partner or even higher, yet their findings need to be interpreted with caution. In addition, our results also highlighted the associated factors of IPV among partners, in which they were assimilated into a multi-level ecological model and were analyzed through an intersectional framework. Based on our findings, IPV is found to be highly prevalent during the entire perinatal period and in populations suffering from social inequalities. Further research exploring not only the occurrence, but also the motivations and the context of the bidirectionality of IPV during the perinatal period may facilitate better understanding of the detrimental consequences on partners and their families, as well as the development of effective intervention strategies. Public health prevention approaches intervening at optimal times during the perinatal period are also needed.

Serum Levels of Vitamin D, Calcium, Magnesium, and Copper, and their Relations with Mental Health and Sexual Function in Pregnant Iranian Adolescents

Pregnant adolescents are at risk for micronutrient deficiency, psychological problems, and sexual dysfunction. We aimed to determine serum levels of vitamin D, calcium, magnesium, and copper, and also their relations with stress, anxiety, depression, and sexual function in pregnant adolescents. This cross-sectional study was conducted on two hundred 11-19-year-old healthy singleton pregnant women at gestational age of 26-32 weeks, who were covered by public health centers in Tabriz, Iran. Depression was assessed using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), anxiety and stress using the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), and sexual function using the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). The independent t test was employed to determine the relations. Serum levels of vitamin D were found to be deficient (< 20 ng/ml) in 59% of the participants and insufficient (20-29 ng/ml) in 33%. Normal serum levels of calcium were observed in 67% of the participants, those of magnesium in 89.5%, and those of copper in 86%. Moreover, moderate-to-severe anxiety was observed in 38.5%, moderate-to-severe stress in 22.5%, depression in 30%, and sexual dysfunction in 68%. Mean serum level of copper was higher in women with depression compared with those with no depression (100.6 vs 93.0, P = 0.048). No other statistically significant associations were found between serum levels of any of the micronutrients and anxiety, stress, depression, and sexual dysfunction (P > 0.05). The present study indicates high prevalence of micronutrient (especially vitamin D) deficiency, psychological problems, and sexual dysfunction among the pregnant adolescents. It also indicates an association between high serum copper level and depression.

Intimate partner abuse among couples during pregnancy and its predictors as reported by pregnant women visiting governmental health care centres in Tabriz, Iran

Little is known about intimate partner abuse (IPA) among couples during pregnancy in Iran. This study aimed to compare the rates of IPA by pregnant women towards their husbands (perpetration), and women's experience of IPA from their husbands (victimization) and determine the predictors of the two behaviours. The cross-sectional study was conducted on 525 pregnant women at 24-30 weeks of gestation visiting governmental health care centres/posts in Tabriz, Iran, in 2014. The study sample was selected using random cluster sampling. The Revised Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS2) was used to assess IPA perpetration and victimization. The McNemar test was employed to compare the prevalences of IPA perpetration and victimization, and adjusted logistic regression was utilized to determine the socio-demographic predictors of overall IPA perpetration and victimization. The overall rates of women's reported abuse of their husbands (perpetration) and women's experience of abuse from their husbands (victimization) were 70% and 67%, respectively, but the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.086). The prevalence of psychological aggression perpetrated by women towards their husbands was significantly higher than that experienced by the women from their husbands (65% vs 58%, p<0.001). The prevalences of sexual coercion (15% vs 30%) and injury (8% vs 16%) perpetrated by women on their husbands were significantly lower those they experienced by the women from their husbands (p<0.001). There was no statistically significant difference between the prevalence of perpetration of physical violence towards husbands by women (19%) and that experienced by women from their husbands (22%) (p=0.072). Women's and husbands' satisfaction with their own occupations were predictors of both perpetration and victimization of IPA. The observed high rates of IPA perpetration by, women and victimization of, women during pregnancy, and the significantly higher rate of violence towards women compared with that perpetrated by women, especially for sexual coercion and injury, require health policymakers and care providers to make serious efforts to identify such violence, and take appropriate measures to reduce it, during pregnancy in women in Iran.