Sunday, 16 January 2005 - 11:10 AM

This presentation is part of: Intimate Partner Violence

Providing Services to Pregnant Battered Women: Evaluation of a Model Program

Purpose: Domestic violence is one of the leading health risks to women in the United States. For women who are pregnant, abuse poses a risk to their safety, to the pregnancy, and to the safety of their child. Although the American Medical Association and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommend medical professionals address this risk in clinical practice, many remain unprepared to assess for domestic violence.

This paper presents results of a mixed-method evaluation of an innovative model program to provide services to pregnant battered women and training on domestic violence to medical staff. It illustrates the challenges pregnant battered women face and strategies to address them.

Methods: This mixed method evaluation included evaluation of training to medical personnel (n=100) and surveys of clients (n=32) regarding changes in their perceptions of safety, knowledge about domestic violence, and access to prenatal care. In addition, in-depth interviews were conducted with four clients about their needs and experiences with the program, and two staff about the development of the program.

Results: The survey of medical personnel indicated that overall, the training of medical personnel was well received and participants reported an increase of knowledge about domestic violence, increased comfort in screening for domestic violence, and increased comfort in discussing domestic violence with their patients.

Clients surveyed indicated that they used good health practices and their children were born without major complications and remained healthy. However, they experienced significant levels of non-physical abuse and half (51%) had been pushed, shoved or kicked. Roughly one-third had been threatened in some way, forced to do something against their will, or experienced injury to pets or damage to belongings. Over 40% had partners who had thrown or broken objects or kept them from leaving home. However, only 16% reported that their partners had been arrested for their assaultive behaviors. In depth interviews revealed that clients experienced a range of barriers, including homelessness, fear of their partner, and lack of access to prenatal care that complicated their pregnancies.

To address these problems, program staff engaged in an array of outreach and training efforts to the medical community, to other agencies serving pregnant and parenting women, and to high schools. The program addressed the many complex needs of pregnant and parenting battered women with a comprehensive, flexible program of counseling and support. Overall, in-depth interviews with clients suggested the positive impact of this model program.

Implications for Practice: The results of this evaluation suggest the need for comprehensive social work services for pregnant battered women. It outlines the process of developing a model program of services for this vulnerable group. Further, it illustrates the impact of this program to encourage domestic violence screening of pregnant women by medical providers as well as to provide supportive services to pregnant battered women. Finally, this evaluation describes the challenges of developing such a program, and the flexibility and persistence needed in this endeavor.

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