Open AccessViolence against young Australian women and association with reproductive events: a cross‐sectional analysis of a national population sample
Author(s) -
Taft Angela J.,
Watson Lyndsey F.,
Lee Christina
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.946
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1753-6405
pISSN - 1326-0200
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-842x.2004.tb00438.x
Subject(s) - domestic violence , miscarriage , medicine , demography , socioeconomic status , poison control , pregnancy , population , cross sectional study , injury prevention , cohort study , environmental health , pathology , biology , sociology , genetics
Objective: This study aimed to investigate associations between violence and younger women's reproductive events using Survey 1 (1996) data of the Younger cohort of the Australian Longitudinal Study of Women's Health (ALSWH). Methods: Multinomial regression, using composite variables for both violence and reproductive events, adjusting for socio‐economic variables and weighted for rural and remote areas. Results: 23.8% of 14,784 women aged 18 to 23 years reported violence; 12.6% reported non‐partner violence in the previous year; and 11.2% reported ever having had a violent relationship with a partner. Of the latter group, 43% (4.8% overall) also reported violence in the past year. Compared with women reporting no violence, women reporting partner but not recent violence (OR 2.55, 95% CI 2.10–3.09) or partner and recent violence (OR 3.96, 95% CI 3.18–4.93) were significantly more likely to have had one or more pregnancies. Conversely, having had a pregnancy (2,561) was associated with an 80% increase in prevalence of any violence and a 230% increase in partner violence. Among women who had a pregnancy, having had a miscarriage or termination was associated with violence. Partner and recent violence is strongly associated with having had a miscarriage, whether alone (OR = 2.85, 95% CI 1.74–4.66), with a termination (OR = 4.60, 2.26–9.35), or with birth, miscarriage and a termination (OR = 4.12, 1.89–9.00). Conclusions and implications: Violence among young women of childbearing age is a factor for which doctors should be vigilant, well‐trained and supported to identify and manage effectively.