47681

Medico-Legal Evaluation of Violence Against Pregnant Women Attending Woman’s Health Hospital in Assiut University, Upper Egypt

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Last updated: 04 Jan 2025

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Abstract

Violence against women is the most persistent yet under-recognized human rights violation and is an important worldwide health problem. Pregnant women may be especially susceptible to violence owing to increasing their physical, social, emotional and economic demands during pregnancy with potential negative health impacts on both the mother and her unborn baby. Alongside diagnosis and treatment processes, there are considerable challenges in medico-legal evaluation of domestic violence against pregnant women. The present study was carried out to estimate the frequency and pattern of domestic violence among pregnant women in Assiut governorate and to identify the associated socio-demographic and behavioral risk factors. Meanwhile, investigation of the relationship between pregnant women's health status and violence exposure was another important goal.  A cross-sectional study design using a random sampling method was employed in this study. The sample comprised 296 pregnant women aged 18-45 years old who were attending Woman's Health Hospital in Assiut University for antenatal care. Data  was  collected  via  a  structured  interview  questionnaire  including  the socio-demographic  and personality characteristics  of  the women  and their husbands in addition to family profile. The questionnaire also assessed different forms of domestic violence and its consequences on general and obstetric well-being of the pregnant women. Results  revealed  that  the  overall  prevalence  of  domestic  violence among  the  studied  group  was  exceptionally high (91.2%);  the  commonest  form was psychological abuse (81.8 %),  followed  by  sexual abuse (35.5%)  and lastly  physical abuse   (28 %). Logistic regression analysis indicated that younger wives with low educational attainment, non-religious and violent husbands in addition to nuclear and poor families, were all linked to domestic violence against pregnant women. Regarding  the  health consequences  of  violence  exposure,  the urinary and gynecological adverse effects were most  common,  with  a  statistically  significant  difference  in  each  form  of  violence. In conclusion, the  overall  prevalence  of domestic  violence  within the pregnant women sample in Upper Egypt was  remarkably  high  and  predominantly  of  psychological form. Several risk factors have been identified. Pregnant women abuse had adverse health effects that urge raising awareness of obstetricians and health workers in prenatal and family planning services about their legal and ethical responsibilities regarding diagnosis of women abuse through sound examination protocols. 

DOI

10.21608/mjfmct.2013.47681

Keywords

Domestic violence, Pregnant women, risk factors, health consequences, Assiut

Authors

First Name

Ghada

Last Name

Omran

MiddleName

A.

Affiliation

Department of Forensic Medicine and Clinical Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Egypt

Email

-

City

Assiut

Orcid

-

First Name

Wafaa

Last Name

Abdel-Moneim

MiddleName

-

Affiliation

Department of Forensic Medicine and Clinical Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Egypt

Email

-

City

Assiut

Orcid

-

First Name

Alsayed

Last Name

Farahat

MiddleName

M.

Affiliation

Department of Forensic Medicine and Clinical Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Egypt

Email

-

City

Cairo

Orcid

-

First Name

Hossam

Last Name

Salem

MiddleName

T.

Affiliation

Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Woman's Health Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Egypt

Email

-

City

Assiut

Orcid

-

Volume

21

Article Issue

2

Related Issue

7189

Issue Date

2013-07-01

Receive Date

2019-05-10

Publish Date

2013-07-01

Page Start

73

Page End

96

Print ISSN

1110-5437

Online ISSN

2682-3217

Link

https://mjfmct.journals.ekb.eg/article_47681.html

Detail API

https://mjfmct.journals.ekb.eg/service?article_code=47681

Order

5

Type

Original Article

Type Code

966

Publication Type

Journal

Publication Title

Mansoura Journal of Forensic Medicine and Clinical Toxicology

Publication Link

https://mjfmct.journals.ekb.eg/

MainTitle

Medico-Legal Evaluation of Violence Against Pregnant Women Attending Woman’s Health Hospital in Assiut University, Upper Egypt

Details

Type

Article

Created At

22 Jan 2023