Intimate partner violence onset during wanted and unwanted pregnancy in Iranian women

ABSTRACT
Objective. Violence during pregnancy may lead to pregnancy complications, adverse birth outcomes, or other serious reproductive events. Unwanted pregnancy can lead to a wide range of physical and psychological consequences for both the mother and child, impacting various aspects of social, economic, and cultural health. So, this study aimed to compare the onset of intimate partner violence during wanted and unwanted pregnancies.
Materials and Methods. Analytical cross-sectional research was conducted using convenience sampling on 300 eligible women (150 with unwanted pregnancies and 150 with wanted pregnancies) who sought care at health care centers in Kerman in 2022. The Iranian version of the Domestic Violence Questionnaire and SPSS-22 were utilized for data collection and analysis.
Results. The mean age was 29.77 ± 7.06 years. The majority of women (28%) had a diploma, while 69.65% were housewives. The average level of violence during unwanted pregnancy (60.64±30.51) was higher than before pregnancy (51.83 ± 25.02). The mean score of domestic violence in unwanted pregnancies (60.64 ± 30.51) was higher than in the group with wanted pregnancies (51.35 ± 26.99) (p < 0.05). The mean score of the psychological dimension in unwanted pregnancy (14.23±6.03) and the wanted pregnancy group (10.57 ± 5.32) showed a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05). Also, the mean score of patriarchal beliefs in the group with unwanted pregnancy (36.93 ± 20.58) during pregnancy was higher than in the group with wanted pregnancy (31.48 ± 18.43) (p < 0.05).
Conclusions. Unwanted pregnancies can trigger the onset of domestic violence. Careful attention should be given to the topic of unwanted pregnancies when making decisions about providing training and consultation services to parents in health centers.