IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v17y2020i10p3745-d362750.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Ethiopian Health Care Workers’ Insights into and Responses to Intimate Partner Violence in Pregnancy—A Qualitative Study

Author

Listed:
  • Bosena Tebeje Gashaw

    (College of Health Sciences, Jimma University, 1355 Jimma, Ethiopia
    Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, 0316 Oslo, Norway)

  • Berit Schei

    (Department of Public Health and Nursing, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Science and Technology, N-7489 Trondheim, Norway
    Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, St. Olav’s Hospital, 7030 Trondheim University Hospital, N-7489 Trondheim, Norway)

  • Kari Nyheim Solbraekke

    (Institute of Health and Society, University of Oslo, 0318 Oslo, Norway)

  • Jeanette H. Magnus

    (Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, 0316 Oslo, Norway
    Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA)

Abstract

Violence against women is a global pandemic, with the potential to spread through generations. Intimate partner violence has impacts on women’s sexual, reproductive, and psycho-social health. It can occur during pregnancy and adversely affect the health of both mother and child. Health care workers involved in antenatal care can have a unique role in identifying intimate partner violence and in intervening, preventing, and mitigating its consequences. In this study, the objective was to explore Ethiopian health care workers’ insights of and responses to intimate partner violence in pregnancy. Using an exploratory design, this qualitative study includes ten semi-structured interviews of health care workers representing different antenatal care centers in Jimma, Ethiopia. The content analyses of translated interview notes were conducted with Atlas.ti7 software, (Atlas.ti Scientific Software Development Gmbh, Berlin). The health care workers shared their insights of the consequences of intimate partner violence during pregnancy in addition to their experience with and responses to the victims. There was a limited understanding of the extent of the adverse impacts of intimate partner violence on pregnancy outcomes, as well as the potential long-term health implications. The informants described how they only gave medical treatment for obstetric complications or visible trauma during pregnancy. There was no formal referral to or linkages with other resources. Women’s empowerment and systemic changes in the health care, including training and capacity building, clear guidelines addressing management of intimate partner violence in pregnancy, and inclusion of intimate partner violence screening tools in the Ethiopian antenatal care chart/card, were recommended by the informants. The adverse impacts of intimate partner violence on pregnancy outcomes were poorly understood by the Ethiopian health care workers in this study. They offered limited assistance to the victims and recommended changes in the routine antenatal care (ANC) and health care systems. They identified various policy initiatives focusing on women’s empowerment to reduce intimate partner violence and its complications especially during pregnancy.

Suggested Citation

  • Bosena Tebeje Gashaw & Berit Schei & Kari Nyheim Solbraekke & Jeanette H. Magnus, 2020. "Ethiopian Health Care Workers’ Insights into and Responses to Intimate Partner Violence in Pregnancy—A Qualitative Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(10), pages 1-15, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:10:p:3745-:d:362750
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/10/3745/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/10/3745/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Fortuna Procentese & Immacolata Di Napoli & Filomena Tuccillo & Alessandra Chiurazzi & Caterina Arcidiacono, 2019. "Healthcare Professionals’ Perceptions and Concerns towards Domestic Violence during Pregnancy in Southern Italy," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(17), pages 1-17, August.
    2. McMahon, Sarah & Huang, Chien-Chung & Boxer, Paul & Postmus, Judy L., 2011. "The impact of emotional and physical violence during pregnancy on maternal and child health at one year post-partum," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(11), pages 2103-2111.
    3. Lisa Warth & Malinka Koparanova, 2012. "Empowering Women for Sustainable Development," ECE Discussion Papers Series 2012_1, UNECE.
    4. Bosena Tebeje Gashaw & Jeanette H. Magnus & Berit Schei & Kari Nyheim Solbraekke, 2019. "Community Stakeholders’ Perspectives on Intimate Partner Violence during Pregnancy—A Qualitative Study from Ethiopia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(23), pages 1-13, November.
    5. Kim, J.C. & Watts, C.H. & Hargreaves, J.R. & Ndhlovu, L.X. & Phetla, G. & Morison, L.A. & Busza, J. & Porter, J.D.H. & Pronyk, P., 2007. "Understanding the impact of a microfinance-based intervention on women's empowerment and the reduction of intimate partner violence in South Africa," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 97(10), pages 1794-1802.
    6. Schuler, Sidney Ruth & Nazneen, Sohela, 2018. "Does Intimate Partner Violence Decline as Women’s Empowerment Becomes Normative? Perspectives of Bangladeshi Women," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 284-292.
    7. Wiist, W.H. & McFarlane, J., 1999. "The effectiveness of an abuse assessment protocol in public health prenatal clinics," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 89(8), pages 1217-1221.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Kiddus Yitbarek & Mirkuzie Woldie & Gelila Abraham, 2019. "Time for action: Intimate partner violence troubles one third of Ethiopian women," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(5), pages 1-13, May.
    2. Surya Nath Maiti, 2024. "Domestic Risk Factors, Violence and Marital Dissolution: Evidence from Demographic and Health Survey of India," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 36(5), pages 1147-1170, October.
    3. Meffert, Susan M. & McCulloch, Charles E. & Neylan, Thomas C. & Gandhi, Monica & Lund, Crick, 2015. "Increase of perceived frequency of neighborhood domestic violence is associated with increase of women's depression symptoms in a nationally representative longitudinal study in South Africa," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 89-97.
    4. Steinert, Janina I. & Zenker, Juliane & Filipiak, Ute & Movsisyan, Ani & Cluver, Lucie D. & Shenderovich, Yulia, 2018. "Do saving promotion interventions increase household savings, consumption, and investments in Sub-Saharan Africa? A systematic review and meta-analysis," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 238-256.
    5. Simon Zaby, 2019. "Science Mapping of the Global Knowledge Base on Microfinance: Influential Authors and Documents, 1989–2019," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(14), pages 1-21, July.
    6. Madhuri Mahato & Julie Vardhan, 2021. "Discourses by Didis of Community Kitchens: A Case on Women Empowerment," South Asian Journal of Business and Management Cases, , vol. 10(2), pages 145-157, August.
    7. Raymond B. Frempong & David Stadelmann, 2017. "Does Female Education have a Bargaining Effect on Household Welfare? Evidence from Ghana and Uganda," CREMA Working Paper Series 2017-08, Center for Research in Economics, Management and the Arts (CREMA).
    8. Gutiérrez-Nieto, Begoña & Serrano-Cinca, Carlos, 2019. "20 years of research in microfinance: An information management approach," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 183-197.
    9. Ruchira Tabassum Naved & Mahfuz Al Mamun & Kausar Parvin & Samantha Willan & Andrew Gibbs & Marat Yu & Rachel Jewkes, 2018. "Magnitude and correlates of intimate partner violence against female garment workers from selected factories in Bangladesh," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(11), pages 1-22, November.
    10. Diana Lopez-Avila, 2016. "Measuring Women's Empowerment: lessons to better understand domestic violence," PSE Working Papers halshs-01294565, HAL.
    11. Roberto Fasanelli & Ida Galli & Maria Gabriella Grassia & Marina Marino & Rosanna Cataldo & Carlo Natale Lauro & Chiara Castiello & Filomena Grassia & Caterina Arcidiacono & Fortuna Procentese, 2020. "The Use of Partial Least Squares–Path Modelling to Understand the Impact of Ambivalent Sexism on Violence-Justification among Adolescents," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(14), pages 1-22, July.
    12. Auriol, Emmanuelle & Platteau, Jean-Philippe & Camilotti, Giula, 2017. "Eradicating Women-Hurting Customs: What Role for Social Engineering?," CEPR Discussion Papers 12107, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    13. Raghu Raman & Nava Subramaniam & Vinith Kumar Nair & Avinash Shivdas & Krishnashree Achuthan & Prema Nedungadi, 2022. "Women Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Development: Bibliometric Analysis and Emerging Research Trends," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-31, July.
    14. Huang, Chien-Chung & Postmus, Judy L. & Vikse, Juliann H. & Wang, Lih-Rong, 2013. "Economic abuse, physical violence, and union formation," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 780-786.
    15. Danquah, Michael & Iddrisu, Abdul Malik & Boakye, Ernest Owusu & Owusu, Solomon, 2021. "Do gender wage differences within households influence women's empowerment and welfare? Evidence from Ghana," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 188(C), pages 916-932.
    16. Liu, Chia & Olamijuwon, Emmanuel, 2024. "The link between intimate partner violence and spousal resource inequality in lower- and middle-income countries," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 345(C).
    17. Marcella Autiero & Fortuna Procentese & Stefania Carnevale & Caterina Arcidiacono & Immacolata Di Napoli, 2020. "Combatting Intimate Partner Violence: Representations of Social and Healthcare Personnel Working with Gender-Based Violence Interventions," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-16, July.
    18. O'Campo, Patricia & Kirst, Maritt & Tsamis, Charoula & Chambers, Catharine & Ahmad, Farah, 2011. "Implementing successful intimate partner violence screening programs in health care settings: Evidence generated from a realist-informed systematic review," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 72(6), pages 855-866, March.
    19. Erin Stern & Ritha Nyiratunga, 2017. "A Process Review of the Indashyikirwa Couples Curriculum to Prevent Intimate Partner Violence and Support Healthy, Equitable Relationships in Rwanda," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 6(2), pages 1-13, June.
    20. Burke, Holly McClain & Packer, Catherine & González-Calvo, Lázaro & Ridgeway, Kathleen & Lenzi, Rachel & Green, Ann F. & Moon, Troy D., 2019. "A longitudinal qualitative evaluation of an economic and social empowerment intervention to reduce girls’ vulnerability to HIV in rural Mozambique," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:10:p:3745-:d:362750. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.