Abused and pregnant in the country: Implications for rural midwives

A descriptive study was conducted to assess the percentage of domestic violence amongst the pregnant women of a small country town in Queensland. It identified the types of abuse categorised as physical, sexual and psychosocial which women experienced during their pregnancy. The study determined the relationships and the effects of rurality on the abused women's life situation.

A sample of 91 women completed a self -report questionnaire between August and November 1998. The questionnaire was adapted from three abuse assessment sheets used in other studies (Helton, 1987; King, Torres, Campbell, Ryan, Ulrich & McKenna, 1993; Webster, Sweet & Stolz, 1994). The questionnaire was tested for validity during a pilot study.

Data was analysed using descriptive statistics. The Epistat 6 program was used for conducting a Chi-square test with Yates Correction in order to test relationships between two or more variables.

The results showed that 12 per cent (n=11) of women experienced abuse. Of those 12 percent all were abused prior to their pregnancy and for some the abuse

continued in pregnancy. Pregnancy is a risk factor for abuse and the assessment of abuse in pregnancy needs to be included as part of the antenatal interview.