[Mortality of Women with Reported Violence During Pregnancy in Brazil: a Case-control Study]

Overview

Journal Cad Saude Publica

Specialty Public Health

Date 2023 Nov 29

PMID 38018641

Authors

Marcela Quaresma Soares

Cristiane Magalhaes de Melo

Isabella Vitral Pinto

Paula Dias Bevilacqua

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

This study aimed to characterize the main causes of death of women with notification of interpersonal violence during pregnancy and to identify the factors associated with these deaths. This is a case-control study conducted based on relating data on violence to deaths that occurred in Brazil from 2011 to 2017. Data from the Braziliam Information System for Notificable Diseases and the Brazilian Mortality Information System were analyzed using multiple logistic regression. The results showed that 56.4% of the deaths were due to external causes, and 80.1% of which were due to femicide. The following risk factors associated with death were identified: age group from 30 to 39 years (OR = 2.53; 95%CI: 1.01-6.59); firearm assault (OR = 14.21; 95%CI: 4.58-31.86); and by piercing-cutting objects (OR = 4.45; 95%CI: 1.01-22.73). Being married/in a stable union (OR = 0.48; 95%CI: 0.24-0.93); having more than four years of schooling (OR = 0.21; 95%CI: 0.06-0.63); and living in municipalities with a population over 100,000 inhabitants (OR = 0.23; 95%CI: 0.10-0.52) were observed as protective factors. The study was important due to demonstrating the magnitude of femicide among women with notification of violence during pregnancy, as well as the weaknesses in producing information on the external causes of death in the pregnancy-puerperal period. The study also evinced the factors that make women vulnerable to death, reinforcing the urgent need for health professionals to screen for violence during pregnancy.

References

Campbell J, Webster D, Koziol-McLain J, Block C, Campbell D, Curry M . Risk factors for femicide in abusive relationships: results from a multisite case control study. Am J Public Health. 2003; 93(7):1089-97. PMC: 1447915. DOI: 10.2105/ajph.93.7.1089. View

McFarlane J, Campbell J, Sharps P, Watson K . Abuse during pregnancy and femicide: urgent implications for women's health. Obstet Gynecol. 2002; 100(1):27-36. DOI: 10.1016/s0029-7844(02)02054-9. View

Pinto I, Bernal R, Souza M, Malta D . Factors associated with death in women with intimate partner violence notification in Brazil. Cien Saude Colet. 2021; 26(3):975-985. DOI: 10.1590/1413-81232021263.00132021. View

Garcia-Moreno C, Jansen H, Ellsberg M, Heise L, Watts C . Prevalence of intimate partner violence: findings from the WHO multi-country study on women's health and domestic violence. Lancet. 2006; 368(9543):1260-9. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(06)69523-8. View

Audi C, Segall-Correa A, Santiago S, Andrade M, Perez-Escamila R . Violence against pregnant women: prevalence and associated factors. Rev Saude Publica. 2008; 42(5):877-85. DOI: 10.1590/s0034-89102008005000041. View

Stockl H, Devries K, Rotstein A, Abrahams N, Campbell J, Watts C . The global prevalence of intimate partner homicide: a systematic review. Lancet. 2013; 382(9895):859-65. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(13)61030-2. View

Meneghel S, Hirakata V . Femicides: female homicide in Brazil. Rev Saude Publica. 2011; 45(3):564-74. DOI: 10.1590/s0034-89102011000300015. View

Romero D, Cunha C . [Quality of socioeconomic and demographic data in relation to infant mortality in the Brazilian Mortality Information System (1996/2001)]. Cad Saude Publica. 2006; 22(3):673-84. DOI: 10.1590/s0102-311x2006000300022. View

Campbell J, Matoff-Stepp S, Velez M, Cox H, Laughon K . Pregnancy-Associated Deaths from Homicide, Suicide, and Drug Overdose: Review of Research and the Intersection with Intimate Partner Violence. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2020; 30(2):236-244. PMC: 8020563. DOI: 10.1089/jwh.2020.8875. View

10.

Garnweidner-Holme L, Lukasse M, Solheim M, Henriksen L . Talking about intimate partner violence in multi-cultural antenatal care: a qualitative study of pregnant women's advice for better communication in South-East Norway. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2017; 17(1):123. PMC: 5395889. DOI: 10.1186/s12884-017-1308-6. View

11.

Devries K, Kishor S, Johnson H, Stockl H, Bacchus L, Garcia-Moreno C . Intimate partner violence during pregnancy: analysis of prevalence data from 19 countries. Reprod Health Matters. 2010; 18(36):158-70. DOI: 10.1016/S0968-8080(10)36533-5. View

12.

Alhusen J, Ray E, Sharps P, Bullock L . Intimate partner violence during pregnancy: maternal and neonatal outcomes. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2014; 24(1):100-6. PMC: 4361157. DOI: 10.1089/jwh.2014.4872. View

13.

Ribeiro M, Silva A, Schraiber L, Murray J, de Britto E Alves M, Batista R . Inversion of traditional gender roles and intimate partner violence against pregnant women. Cad Saude Publica. 2020; 36(5):e00113919. DOI: 10.1590/0102-311x00113919. View

14.

Cheng D, Horon I . Intimate-partner homicide among pregnant and postpartum women. Obstet Gynecol. 2010; 115(6):1181-1186. DOI: 10.1097/AOG.0b013e3181de0194. View

15.

Cliffe C, Miele M, Reid S . Homicide in pregnant and postpartum women worldwide: a review of the literature. J Public Health Policy. 2019; 40(2):180-216. DOI: 10.1057/s41271-018-0150-z. View

16.

Stockl H, Filippi V, Watts C, Mbwambo J . Induced abortion, pregnancy loss and intimate partner violence in Tanzania: a population based study. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2012; 12:12. PMC: 3311557. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2393-12-12. View

17.

Conceicao H, Coelho S, Madeiro A . Prevalence and factors associated with intimate partner violence during pregnancy in Caxias, state of Maranhão, Brazil, 2019-2020. Epidemiol Serv Saude. 2021; 30(2):e2020848. DOI: 10.1590/S1679-49742021000200012. View

18.

Moraes C, Reichenheim M . Domestic violence during pregnancy in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2002; 79(3):269-77. DOI: 10.1016/s0020-7292(02)00250-3. View

19.

Ceccon R, Meneghel S . [HIV and violence against women: study in a municipality with high prevalence of Aids in the South of Brazil]. Rev Panam Salud Publica. 2015; 37(4-5):287-92. View

20.

Wallace M, Gillispie-Bell V, Cruz K, Davis K, Vilda D . Homicide During Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period in the United States, 2018-2019. Obstet Gynecol. 2021; 138(5):762-769. PMC: 9134264. DOI: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000004567. View