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Effectiveness of a counselling intervention implemented in antenatal setting for pregnant women facing domestic violence: a pre‐experimental study
Author(s) -
Arora S,
Deosthali PB,
Rege S
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
bjog: an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.157
H-Index - 164
eISSN - 1471-0528
pISSN - 1470-0328
DOI - 10.1111/1471-0528.15846
Subject(s) - domestic violence , medicine , intervention (counseling) , pregnancy , family medicine , suicide prevention , psychiatry , poison control , nursing , environmental health , biology , genetics
Objective To assess the effectiveness of a counselling intervention in antenatal care settings for pregnant women who report domestic violence. Design Pre‐experimental study with pretest‐posttest design. Settings Two public hospitals in Mumbai, India. Sample In all, 2778 pregnant women accessing antenatal care ( ANC ) in the hospitals from February to November 2016 were approached for study participation; 2515 women consented. These women were screened by trained counsellors for domestic violence during pregnancy (domestic violence during pregnancy). Domestic violence during pregnancy was reported by 16.2% (408) of women. Of these, 155 women sought counselling services. Post‐intervention analyses were carried out with 142 women at 6 weeks post‐delivery; 13 women were not contactable. Methods The 442 women who reported domestic violence during pregnancy were provided a minimum of two counselling sessions by trained counsellors during their ANC visits. A counselling intake form was used to collect pre‐ and post‐intervention data. Main outcome measures Prevalence of domestic violence during pregnancy, change in women's ability to cope, safety, and health. Results Prevalence of domestic violence during pregnancy (16.1%) was comparable to those of common obstetric complications routinely screened for during ANC . In all, 60–65% women reported cognitive changes such as recognising impact of violence and need to speak out against it. In all, 50.7% women took action at the individual level to address domestic violence during pregnancy. This change was not statistically significant ( P ‐value 0.193). Of the women studied, 35.9% adopted at least one safety measure, and 84% of the women reported better health status post‐intervention. Conclusions Routine enquiry and counselling for domestic violence during pregnancy are effective in improving women's ability to cope, safety, and health. Funding This study was funded by The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Tweetable abstract Improving coping strategies, safety and health of pregnant women who reported domestic violence by providing counselling in antenatal care setting.