Department heading

Pregnancy brings new challenges to the previous life, to the relationship and to the financial situation. Pregnant women and their unborn children are a particularly vulnerable group in society. However, pregnant women can also be affected by partner violence. This can have health consequences for the expectant mother and the unborn child, and indirectly for other children in the family.

Initial findings on prevalence suggest that 2 % of pregnant women experience violence during pregnancy. According to impressions of the women's counselling centre of the Caritasverband Frankfurt e.V. (2009), every tenth pregnant woman who visits the counselling centre is affected by some form of violence. To record incidents of violence, staff members have been using a self-created documentation system since about 2005. Knowing the frequency, type and conditions of violence during pregnancy is important in order to develop appropriate prevention strategies against violence and the associated health consequences.

Methodological difficulties in collecting data do not allow reliable statements to be made about experiences of violence at the women's counselling centre of the Caritasverband Frankfurt e.V.. It was possible to develop a documentation system with which it is possible to make statements about the extent of violence as well as risk factors and health consequences among pregnant women.

Pregnancy counselling centres come 2 into contact with pregnant women who have experienced violence. Staff of counselling centres for pregnant women should be sensitised to the topic and trained. Risk factors for violence in pregnancy known from the literature include young age, unemployment and experiences of violence in childhood.