Mothers’ opinions on being asked about exposure to intimate partner violence in child healthcare centres in Sweden
2018 (English)In: Journal of Child Health Care, ISSN 1367-4935, E-ISSN 1741-2889, Vol. 22, no 2, p. 228-237Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Intimate partner violence (IPV) constitutes a hidden health risk for exposed mothers and children. In Sweden, screening for IPV in healthcare has only been routine during pregnancy, despite an increase in IPV following childbirth. The arguments against routine questions postpartum have concerned a lack of evidence of beneficial effects as well as fear of stigmatizing women or placing abused women at further risk. Increased understanding of women’s attitudes to routine questions may allay these fears. In this study, 198 mothers in 12 child healthcare centres (CHCs) filled in a short questionnaire about their exposure and received information on IPV at a regular baby check-up visit. The mothers’ lifetime prevalence of exposure to IPV was 16%. One hundred and twenty-eight mothers participated in a telephone interview, giving their opinion on the screening experience. The intervention was well-received by most of the mothers who reported that questions and information on IPV are essential for parents, considering the health risks for children, and that the CHC is a natural arena for this. Necessary prerequisites were that questioning be routine to avoid stigmatizing and be offered in privacy without the partner being present.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Sage Publications, 2018. Vol. 22, no 2, p. 228-237
Keywords [en]
Child healthcare, domestic violence, intimate partner violence, routine screening, article, child, female, health hazard, human, human experiment, infant, major clinical study, mother, partner violence, prevalence, privacy, questionnaire, Sweden, telephone interview
National Category
Health Sciences
Research subject
Public Health Science
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kau:diva-68063DOI: 10.1177/1367493517753081ISI: 000434024600006Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85047936118OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kau-68063DiVA, id: diva2:1223985
2018-06-262018-06-262018-06-26Bibliographically approved