Violencia contra la mujer durante la gestación y postparto infligida por su pareja en Centros de Atención Primaria de la zona norte de Santiago, Chile / Prevalence and factors associated with partner violence among pregnant and puerperal women in Santiago, Chile

Background: Violence against women (VAW) is a violation of women's fundamental rights and special attention must be paid during the gestational and postpartum period. Aim: To determine the prevalence of violence against women attending antenatal and postpartum controls in Primary Health Centers. Material and Method: The Woman Abuse Screening Tool (WAST) for early detection of VAW was applied to 279 pregnant and 102 puerperal women attending five public primary health centers in metropolitan Santiago. Results: The prevalence ofviolence against pregnant and puerperal women was 5.7 and 5.9%, respectively. In both groups, the factors associated with a greater risk of violence were being immigrants, a history of domestic violence, not having a supportive partner and alcohol consumption by the partner. Conclusions: Violence against these women is a multifactorial, complex and structural phenomenon, which involves the victim, the abuser and the entire social system. Primary health care level and health professionals can be key elements applying early detection strategies, timely referral mechanisms and bringing emotional support for victims.

Adaptación del instrumento WAST para la detección de violencia doméstica en Centros de Salud / Cultural adaptation and translation of the Woman Abuse Screening Tool

Background: The Woman Abuse Screening Tool (WAST) is a screening tool for domestic violence used in Unites States. Aim: To carry out the cultural adaptation of the WAST instrument for early detection of domestic violence in primary health care. Material and Methods: Qualitative techniques for cultural adaptation were used in stages 1 and 2 and quantitative techniques were used in stage 3. The validity of content was assessed using judge tests carried out with experts in the field. Linguistic adaptation was carried out using a focal group technique to ensure semantic and language comprehension. Finally, the culturally adapted instrument was applied to 16 women who were victims of violence and to 28 women without a history of violence. Results: For cultural adaptation, the judges' test added the item of economic violence to the instrument. According to the focus groups, some words were changed to facilitate understanding by the subjects. According to the scores obtained in women with and without a history of violence, a cut-off point of 15 points was defined to determine a history of domestic violence with a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 96%. The Cronbach Alpha of the questionnaire was 91%. Conclusions: WAST is an effective and easily applied instrument for the early detection of domestic violence.

Experiencias en madres con hijos con síndrome de Down en torno a la recepción del diagnóstico / Experiences of mothers of children with Down syndrome with respect to the notification of diagnosis

En Chile la tasa de Síndrome de Down es de 2,47 por cada mil nacimientos, con tendencia al aumento. El momento del diagnóstico se constituye como un proceso esencial en la asimilación del mismo por parte de las madres. El objetivo del presente es describir las experiencias de madres con niños con Síndrome de Down, al momento de conocer el diagnóstico. METODOLOGÍA: Estudio cualitativo de tipo descriptivo. La muestra se compuso por madres pertenecientes a la corporación "EduDown Providencia". Se realizaron 10 entrevistas semiestructuradas individuales y dos grupos focales, previo consentimiento informado, las entrevistas fueron audiograbadas con transcripciones textuales y luego analizadas. RESULTADOS: Se obtuvieron tres grandes categorías relacionadas con los objetivos del estudio: Factores que influyen en la recepción del diagnóstico, el rol del profesional y redes de apoyo, y dos categorías emergentes. DISCUSIÓN: En el diagnóstico prenatal es relevante preparar a las madres con el fin de orientar y acompañar el proceso desde la noticia y con posterioridad al nacimiento, hecho no manifestado en este estudio. La recomendación al entregar el diagnóstico, principalmente posnatal es: favorecer la privacidad, un ambiente tranquilo, informar a ambos padres acompañados del recién nacido. Las madres de este estudio no presentan sentimientos de culpa, rechazo y negación hacia el hijo, aspectos que aparecen como relevantes en otros estudios. Las madres manifiestan la falta de habilidades que tienen los profesionales para comunicar la noticia y las dificultades económicas que implica tener un hijo con esta condición.

In Chile, the incidence of Down syndrome is 2.47 per one thousand births, a rate which is gradually increasing. The moment of diagnosis is considered to be a crucial moment in the mother's process of assimilation. The objective of the present study is to describe the experiences of mothers of children with Down Syndrome at the time of diagnosis. METHODOLOGY: A descriptive qualitative study. The sample was composed of mothers belonging to the corporation "EduDown Providencia". Ten individual semi-structured interviews and two focus groups were conducted, with prior informed consent. Interviews were recorded, textually transcribed, and analyzed. RESULTS: There were three major categories related to the study objectives ­ factors influencing the reception of the diagnosis, the role of the health professionals, and support networks ­ and two emerging categories. DISCUSSION: In the prenatal diagnosis, it is important to prepare the mothers in order to guide and accompany the process, from the notification until after the birth, a fact which was not manifested in this study. Recommendations regarding the notification of the diagnosis, especially if it is postnatal, include protecting privacy and facilitating a quiet environment, to inform both parents accompanied by the newborn. The mothers of this study did not present feelings of guilt, rejection and denial towards their children, in contrast to the findings of other studies. Mothers discussed the lack of skill that professionals had in communicating the news and the economic difficulties associated with having a child with this condition.