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Biomedical subjects

H Grimstad

Publications and source records attributed to H Grimstad.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1999

Pregnancy and delivery for women with a history of child sexual abuse.

OBJECTIVE: To study whether women with a history of child sexual abuse are at increased risk of delivering low birth weight infants. Secondary aims were to study smoking habits, obstetric complications, health care use, and health complaints during pregnancy among women with a history of child sexual abuse. METHOD: In a case control study, 82 women with birth of a low birth weight infant (< 2500 g) (cases) and 91 women with birth of a normal birth weight infant (controls) were interviewed about experiences of child sexual abuse. RESULTS: Fourteen percent of the women disclosed a history of child sexual abuse involving at least genital touch. Birth of a low birth weight infant was not associated with a history of child sexual abuse (OR 1.03, 95% CI .44-2.40). More women with a history of child sexual abuse were smokers during pregnancy (56% vs. 31%) compared with nonabused women. Abused women reported lower age at menarche and sexual debut. Nonscheduled contacts with the antenatal care clinic and discomfort during pregnancy were more frequent among abused women when controlled for low birth weight. CONCLUSIONS: Women who delivered low birth weight infants were not more likely to have experienced child sexual abuse than women who delivered nonlow birth weight infants. Abused women were unemployed and daily smokers more often than nonabused women. Some of the abused women reported more health complaints, and more use of health care services during pregnancy, but did not have more obstetric complications during pregnancy and delivery.

Case-Control Studies↗
PubMed1999

Prevalence of physical and sexual abuse before and during pregnancy among Swedish couples.

BACKGROUND: To estimate the prevalence of threats and actual acts of physical and sexual abuse during pregnancy. METHODS: Two hundred and seven pregnant Swedish women married to or cohabiting with Swedish men were randomly selected from three antenatal clinics in the city of Göteborg, Sweden. A standardized questionnaire was used for personal interviews about the women's experience of physical and sexual abuse by a husband or a boyfriend at some point in the past, during the last year and during current pregnancy. RESULTS: Twenty-seven point five percent of the women reported that they had been exposed to physical violence at some point in the past by their husband/boyfriend. Twenty-four and a half percent of the women had experienced some form of threat, physical or sexual violence during the last year. At some time (once or more) during their current pregnancy, the proportions of women who had been exposed to the following categories of violence, were as follows: 14.5%-symbolic violence, 14.5%-threats of mild violence, 2.9%-threats of moderate violence, 2.9%-threats of serious violence, 11%-mild violence, 4.3%-minor violence, 2.4%-moderate violence, 4.3%-serious violence and 3.3%-sexual violence. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that a considerable number of women had experienced threats, physical and sexual abuse during pregnancy. There is an obvious need for screening of experience of domestic violence among pregnant women to enhance the safety of women and their unborn babies.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Anxiety, physical abuse, and low birth weight.

BACKGROUND: Physical and sexual abuse has been associated with adverse pregnancy outcome in some studies. One cause may be physical trauma; others may be indirect, such as stress, anxiety, smoking or drug use in pregnancy. The aim of the present study was to assess the relationships among anxiety, history of abuse and low birth weight. METHODS: We performed a case control study comprising 85 women who delivered low birth weight (<2500 g) babies (cases) and 92 women with higher birth weight babies (control group). All mothers were interviewed. We assessed the extent of abuse using the Conflict Tactics Scale, and that of anxiety using the Trait-Anxiety Inventory. RESULTS: Women with low birth weight babies were not more likely to have higher scores on the anxiety scale or to have a history of abuse. On the other hand, mothers with a history of abuse had higher anxiety scores and more often smoked in pregnancy. CONCLUSION: Anxiety could be the intermediate factor between abuse and smoking in pregnancy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Abuse history and health risk behaviors in pregnancy.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To study the relation between a history of physical abuse and consumption of cigarettes and alcohol during pregnancy. METHODS: In a case-control study, 83 women who delivered a low birthweight (<2500 g) infant (cases) and 92 women with a newborn with birthweight > or =2500 g (controls) were interviewed about a history of sexual abuse, physical abuse by a partner, and about health behaviors during pregnancy. RESULTS: In all, 46 (26%) had a history of abuse. Birth of a low birthweight infant was not associated with a history of abuse. At time of first prenatal visit 35% of the women were daily smokers, 50%) of the abused and 29%, of the nonabused were smokers. An abuse history was associated with daily smoking when controlled for educational level (OR 2.29, 95%, CI 1.08-4.85). Ninety (51%) of the women reported consumption of alcohol during pregnancy. Abuse was associated with alcohol consumption in pregnancy when controlled for educational level (OR 2.57, 95% CI 1.22-5.39). CONCLUSIONS: Alcohol and tobacco use during pregnancy were associated with a history of abuse. Health care professionals should consider this potential correlation when use of tobacco and alcohol in pregnancy is brought up.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1997

Physical abuse and low birthweight: a case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether physical abuse of a woman by her partner was associated with low birthweight. DESIGN: A case-control study. SETTING: Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital of Trondheim, Norway. PARTICIPANTS/SAMPLE: Eighty-six women who were delivered of a low birthweight (< 2500 g) infant (cases) and 92 women who were delivered of an infant with birthweight > or = 2500 g (controls). METHODS: An in-depth interview, either postpartum at the maternity ward or one year after delivery. Information about abuse was obtained by direct questioning and a modified version of the Conflict Tactics Scales. RESULTS: A total of 17% of the women had experienced abuse by a partner. While 7% had been abused by their current partner before the index pregnancy only one woman reported abuse during pregnancy. Relatively more mothers of low birthweight infants were abused (20%) compared with controls (15%), but the association was not statistically significant (OR 1.37, 95% CI 0.63-2.99). Abused women reported a higher consumption of alcohol and cigarettes in pregnancy compared with nonabused women. CONCLUSION: Abuse was not found to be a risk factor for low birthweight in this study.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Interpersonal conflict and physical abuse in relation to pregnancy and infant birth weight.

Women's experiences of different kinds of abusive behavior by their partners were studied in relation to birth weight of the women's infants and other pregnancy outcome measures. Eighty-four women who delivered a low-birth-weight (< 2500 g) infant (cases) and 90 women who delivered an infant with higher birth weight (controls) were interviewed in a case-control study. Information about the partners' behavior during conflicts were obtained by use of a modified Conflict Tactics Scale. Different interpersonal conflict behaviors were categorized as negative verbal interaction or moderate or severe physical abuse. Women who had experienced moderate or severe violence in a relationship also had experienced negative verbal interaction from their partner. Low birth weight was not associated with experiences of any interpersonal conflict behavior in the total sample (OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.42-1.37). Among women with a low birth weight infant, mean birth weight was 261 g lower among those who reported any interpersonal conflict behavior during pregnancy. Birth of a low-birth-weight infant was not associated with abuse in a wide sense. Also, such abuse was unassociated with a variety of other complications during pregnancy, lifestyle characteristics, or pregnancy outcome measures.

Birth Weight↗