ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Domestic violence against pregnant women in the Indian context, violence against women is frequently by family members other than the spouse/intimate partner/husband. AIMS: To study the incidence of domestic violence in pregnant North Indian women and the demographic features which put women at high risk for domestic violence. STUDY DESIGN: A prospective study at the Government Medical College and Hospital, Chandigarh from January 2004 to December 2004. PARTICIPANTS: Nine hundred and ninety-one pregnant women admitted to the pregnant women admitted to the antenatal ward were interviewed. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Test of significance used was Chi-square test. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated. RESULTS: The incidence of domestic violence in this study was 28.4%. The violence was more when the husband was educated up to Class 10 level or lower (OR 2.07 (95%) CI 1.54 to 2.79), was habituated to alcohol (OR 2.31 (95%) CI 1 - 71 to 3.11) or to chewing tobacco (OR 2.77 (95%) CI 1.46 to 3.27) or to smoking cigarettes (OR 2.23 (95%) CI 1.59 to 3.11). The incidence of domestic violence was drastically high in women who were socially unsupported (OR 98.9 (95%) CI 43.65 to 235.68). The level of education and employment of the woman had no effect on the incidence of the abuse. The perpetrator of the abuse was the intimate partner (husband) in 48.2%, the husband's mother in 61.3%, and the husband's sister in 22.6%. Most often the abuse was by more than one person. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of abuse was more when the male partner was less educated or in the habit of taking alcohol, opium or tobacco and in socially unsupported women. The level of education and employment of the woman had no effect on the incidence of abuse.