Husband with Childhood Experience of Domestic Violence Also Beats Pregnant Wife

1 in 13 Pregnant Women Experience Spousal Violence
Higher Rates Among Those with Domestic Violence History or Unplanned Pregnancy

A study has found that one in 13 pregnant women in Korea experience spousal violence during pregnancy and childbirth.

A joint research team led by Professor Cho Hong-jun of the Department of Family Medicine at Seoul Asan Medical Center and Professor Lee Ji-yoon of the Department of Nursing at Kangwon National University analyzed data from 5,953 pregnant women registered in the "Early Life Health Management Project" at 30 public health centers from 2020 to 2021, revealing these findings on the 5th. The results of this study were published in the latest issue of the International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

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The research team analyzed the Domestic Violence Measurement Index (HITS) included in the public health center's pregnant women registration data to determine the extent of spousal violence during pregnancy and postpartum. HITS converts the degree of harm, insult, threat, and screaming experienced from a spouse into an objective score.

The team considered a score of 6 or higher as indicative of domestic violence. As a result, 7.6% of the total pregnant women analyzed received a HITS score of 6 or higher, suggesting they experienced violence from their spouse.

The research team identified factors contributing to spousal violence against pregnant women, including "childhood experience of domestic violence" (2.61 times), "unplanned pregnancy" (2.18 times), "depression" (2.17 times), "experience of treatment for emotional problems" (1.53 times), and "residence in rural areas" (1.52 times).

Additionally, the risk of violence was estimated to be 2.24 times higher when pregnant women had no one to talk to around them during pregnancy and childbirth compared to those who had someone to converse with.

The research team emphasized, "Even if spousal violence against pregnant women is limited to verbal abuse or threats, it can cause significant harm not only to the pregnant women but also to the fetus," and pointed out that "active national-level intervention is necessary to block domestic violence while early identifying and managing affected pregnant women."