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Obstetric Violence Is Prevalent in Routine Maternity Care: A Cross-Sectional Study of Obstetric Violence and Its Associated Factors among Pregnant Women in Sri Lanka's Colombo District
Minist Hlth, Sri Lanka.
Minist Hlth, Sri Lanka.ORCID iD: 0000-0001-8903-9961
Linnaeus University, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Department of Health and Caring Sciences.ORCID iD: 0000-0001-5200-1740
Univ Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka.
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2022 (English)In: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, ISSN 1661-7827, E-ISSN 1660-4601, Vol. 19, no 16, article id 9997Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

The phenomenon of obstetric violence has been documented widely in maternity care settings worldwide, with scholars arguing that it is a persistent, common, but preventable impediment to attaining dignified health care. However, gaps remain in understanding local expressions of the phenomenon, associations with other types of violence against women, and implications for women's trust and confidence in health providers and services. We focused on these issues in this cross-sectional study of 1314 women in Sri Lanka's Colombo district. Specifically, in this study, we used Sinhalese and Tamil translations of the NorVold Abuse Questionnaire and the Abuse Assessment Screen to measure prevalence of women's experiences with obstetric violence in maternity care and lifetime and pregnancy-specific domestic violence. Then, the results were interpreted by considering the women's sociodemographic characteristics, such as age, ethnicity, and family income, to reveal previously undocumented associations between obstetric and domestic violence during pregnancy, as well as other factors associated with experiencing obstetric violence. We argue that obstetric violence is prevalent in government-sector (public) maternity care facilities in the Colombo district and is associated with young age, lower family income, non-majority ethnicity, and rural residency. Significantly, this study sheds light on a serious concern that has been underexamined, wherein women who report experiencing obstetric violence are also less likely to be asked by a health care provider about domestic violence experiences. Further research at the clinical level needs to focus on appropriate training and interventions to ensure women's safety and cultivate relationships between patients and health care providers characterized by trust, confidence, and respect.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
MDPI, 2022. Vol. 19, no 16, article id 9997
Keywords [en]
obstetric violence, domestic violence, maternity care, Sri Lanka, prevalence study, vulnerable populations
National Category
Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology
Research subject
Health and Caring Sciences
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-116447DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19169997ISI: 000845751000001PubMedID: 36011635Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85136663014OAI: oai:DiVA.org:lnu-116447DiVA, id: diva2:1697394
Available from: 2022-09-20 Created: 2022-09-20 Last updated: 2022-10-07Bibliographically approved

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Swahnberg, Katarina

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