Screening for domestic violence during pregnancy in an antenatal clinic in Lebanon

Abstract

The purpose of this brief article is to examine the prevalence of domestic violence during pregnancy using data from 349 women attending an antenatal clinic serving refugees in Saidon, Lebanon. The Abuse Assessment Screen was used to identify cases of abuse among the women attending the clinic during the months of June and July, 2005. A total of 240 (68.8%) women experienced one form of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse in their marital life, and 40 (11.4%) women experienced physical violence during their current pregnancy. Violence during pregnancy was strongly associated with previous experiences of physical, emotional and sexual violence.