Abstract
Background: Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a serious public health problem that affects millions in the United States. Pregnancy-related violence is a risk factor for adverse maternal and pregnancy outcomes. The COVID-19 pandemic has presented unique challenges for pregnant women. While a growing body of literature has examined the influence of the pandemic on IPV, a few studies have evaluated the effect on those who were pregnant during COVID-19, and its association with adverse birth outcomes. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of IPV during pregnancy before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and compare its association with adverse birth outcomes (ABO) of small for gestational age, low birth weight, and preterm birth.
Method: We analyzed de-identified data from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) Phase 8, 2016-2020. Data were obtained from the CDC following the PRAMS data approval protocol. The survey package in R Studio was used to apply the survey weights. The prevalence of IPV during birth was calculated for each month of reported birth; births of March 2020 or later were considered to be during the COVID-19 pandemic. The trends in IPV before and during COVID-19 were examined using the Causal Impact package in R, which used Bayesian structural time series. Weighted logistic regression models were used to examine the association between IPV and adverse birth outcomes.
Results: Of the PRAMS sample, 16% of the pregnancies had births during the COVID pandemic, after March 2020 (95% CI 15.7%-16.0%). The prevalence of IPV during pregnancy for those who gave birth before COVID was 2.0% (95% CI 1.9, 2.1), compared to 1.7% for those who gave birth during COVID-19 (95% CI 1.5, 1.9). The prevalence of reported IPV during pregnancy had a significant decrease of 21% (95% CI -34%, -2%) during COVID-19. There was no significant association found in the interaction of being pregnant during COVID and IPV, with ABO.
Discussion and Conclusion: The lower self-report of physical IPV during COVID in our study could be due to social distancing restrictions limiting the opportunity for women to complete the survey privately. There is a need to develop interventions to prevent and address IPV during public health emergencies. Nurses play a crucial role in screening and initiating interventions for IPV survivors. Healthcare efforts should focus on improving public awareness of IPV during a pandemic and accessibility to resources.
Notes
References:
Agarwal, S., Prasad, R., Mantri, S., Chandrakar, R., Gupta, S., Babhulkar, V., Srivastav, S., Jaiswal, A., & Wanjari, M. B. (2023). A comprehensive review of intimate partner violence during pregnancy and its adverse effects on maternal and fetal health. Cureus, 15(5), e39262. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.39262
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). Preventing Intimate Partner Violence. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/intimatepartnerviolence/fastfact.html
D'Angelo, D. V., Kapaya, M., Swedo, E. A., Basile, K. C., Agathis, N. T., Zapata, L. B., Lee, R. D., Li, Q., Ruvalcaba, Y., Meeker, J. R., Salvesen von Essen, B., Clayton, H. B., & Warner, L. (2024). Physical intimate partner violence and increased partner aggression during pregnancy during the COVID-19 pandemic: Results from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System. Public Health Reports (Washington, D.C.: 1974), 333549241278631. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/00333549241278631
Piquero, A. R., Jennings, W. G., Jemison, E., Kaukinen, C., & Knaul, F. M. (2021). Domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic - Evidence from a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Criminal Justice, 74, 101806. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2021.101806
Shulman, H. B., D’Angelo, D. V., Harrison, L., Smith, R. A., & Warner, L. (2018). The Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS): Overview of design and methodology. American Journal of Public Health, 108(10), 1305– 1313. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2018.304563
Sigma Membership
Zeta Pi
Type
Poster
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Public and Community Health, Primary Care, Health Equity, Social Determinants of Health, Promoting Clinical Outcomes, Intimate Partner Violence, Pregnancy-related Violence
Recommended Citation
Eapen, Doncy Joji; Matthews, Krystin; Manikonda, Lydia; Soni, Vyoma; and Byrd-Williams, Courtney, "Intimate Partner Violence and Adverse Birth Outcomes During COVID-19 Pandemic: A PRAMS Analysis" (2025). Biennial Convention (CONV). 60.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/convention/2025/posters_2025/60
Conference Name
48th Biennial Convention
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2025-12-05
Intimate Partner Violence and Adverse Birth Outcomes During COVID-19 Pandemic: A PRAMS Analysis
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Background: Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a serious public health problem that affects millions in the United States. Pregnancy-related violence is a risk factor for adverse maternal and pregnancy outcomes. The COVID-19 pandemic has presented unique challenges for pregnant women. While a growing body of literature has examined the influence of the pandemic on IPV, a few studies have evaluated the effect on those who were pregnant during COVID-19, and its association with adverse birth outcomes. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of IPV during pregnancy before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and compare its association with adverse birth outcomes (ABO) of small for gestational age, low birth weight, and preterm birth.
Method: We analyzed de-identified data from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) Phase 8, 2016-2020. Data were obtained from the CDC following the PRAMS data approval protocol. The survey package in R Studio was used to apply the survey weights. The prevalence of IPV during birth was calculated for each month of reported birth; births of March 2020 or later were considered to be during the COVID-19 pandemic. The trends in IPV before and during COVID-19 were examined using the Causal Impact package in R, which used Bayesian structural time series. Weighted logistic regression models were used to examine the association between IPV and adverse birth outcomes.
Results: Of the PRAMS sample, 16% of the pregnancies had births during the COVID pandemic, after March 2020 (95% CI 15.7%-16.0%). The prevalence of IPV during pregnancy for those who gave birth before COVID was 2.0% (95% CI 1.9, 2.1), compared to 1.7% for those who gave birth during COVID-19 (95% CI 1.5, 1.9). The prevalence of reported IPV during pregnancy had a significant decrease of 21% (95% CI -34%, -2%) during COVID-19. There was no significant association found in the interaction of being pregnant during COVID and IPV, with ABO.
Discussion and Conclusion: The lower self-report of physical IPV during COVID in our study could be due to social distancing restrictions limiting the opportunity for women to complete the survey privately. There is a need to develop interventions to prevent and address IPV during public health emergencies. Nurses play a crucial role in screening and initiating interventions for IPV survivors. Healthcare efforts should focus on improving public awareness of IPV during a pandemic and accessibility to resources.
Description
This study used a secondary analysis of the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), Phase 8 data to compare the prevalence of IPV and its association with adverse birth outcomes before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The prevalence of IPV during pregnancy for those who gave birth before COVID was 2.0%, compared to 1.7% for those who gave birth during COVID. Healthcare efforts should focus on improving public awareness of IPV during a pandemic and accessibility to resources.