Nearly half of pregnant women treated at Mater Dei Hospital’s perinatal mental health clinic experienced intimate partner violence during pregnancy, a study has found.
Of the 85 women who took part in the survey, 40 women – or 47 per cent – said they had experienced psychological, verbal, physical or sexual abuse by their partner. Most reported more than one form of abuse.
The abuse ranged from financial threats and insults about their pregnancy to being dragged, hit and kicked in the stomach.
Verbal and psychological abuse were the most common. A third of respondents said their partner made them feel bad about themselves during pregnancy, while 24 per cent were humiliated in front of others. A quarter said their partner deliberately tried to scare or intimidate them.
Many described controlling behaviour: nearly a quarter said their partner became angry when they spoke to other men, while a fifth said they were monitored closely and restricted from access to finance. Others were restricted from seeing friends or family or required permission to seek healthcare. Nine women reported that their partner had threatened to hurt either them or someone they care about.
The most reported physical abuse included being pushed, shoved or having their hair pulled (12 per cent of respondents).
Five mothers reported that they were kicked, dragged or beaten; four mothers said they were punched during pregnancy – in two cases in the abdomen. Two women reported being choked or burnt. One woman said she had been threatened with a weapon. Eleven women said they had been slapped or had objects thrown at them.
Nine women (11 per cent) said they were forced into sex or agreed to sexual activity out of fear of their partner’s reaction.
The study, Intimate Partner Violence and Perinatal Mental Health Disorders, was published in the Malta Medical Journal. Researchers Edith Agius, Andee Agius, Claire Zerafa, Ethel Felice and Neville Calleja conducted the study among patients attending the clinic between February and May 2021.
The clinic provides specialist care for women dealing with mental health issues during pregnancy or in the first year after birth. Women who were younger, unmarried, economically dependent on their partners or with lower levels of education were at greater risk of abuse.
“This study confirms that mothers suffering from an antenatal or postpartum depression and/or anxiety disorder are at a higher risk of experiencing intimate partner abuse during pregnancy. More needs to be done to identify pregnant mothers at risk of abuse at an early stage and offer the necessary interventions,” the study authors noted.
They pointed out that the data was gathered during COVID-19, when abuse levels were generally higher.
All participants were aged over 18, with most aged between 31 and 35.
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