Intimate Partner Violence Before and During Pregnancy, and IPV Screening During and After Pregnancy Among Women in Tennessee with a Recent Live Birth, 2016-2019

Full Description: Intimate partner violence (IPV) contributes to over half of pregnancy-associated homicides in Tennessee (TN); among these deaths, the Tennessee Maternal Mortality Review Committee determined that three-quarters of those deaths were preventable. This poster will display the findings from a cross-sectional multivariate analysis using 2016-2019 Tennessee Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) data (N=3,107), a population-based surveillance system that gathers information about maternal attitudes, behaviors, and experiences before, during, and shortly after pregnancy. Understanding characteristics of women reporting IPV as well as screening practices around the time of pregnancy may inform intervention efforts in TN with the goal of decreasing pregnancy-associated mortality. In TN, 3.75% (weighted N= 75,451) of new mothers reported experiencing IPV before or during pregnancy. Significant bivariate associations between reporting IPV and demographic characteristics were observed by age, education, marital status, and insurance status. Among women who attended a prenatal care or postpartum visit, 65% reported being screened by their health care provider for IPV; more than half (58.2%) reported being screened at a prenatal care visit and 41% reported being screened at a postpartum visit. In multivariate analysis, women who attended any prenatal care or postpartum visit on public insurance, such as Medicaid, were more likely to be screened for IPV compared to those on private insurance (aOR 1.67, 95% CI: 1.27-2.20, p<0.001) or on other types of insurance (aOR 1.71, 95% CI: 1.02-2.87, p=0.043). The likelihood of being screened for IPV was lower for women who reported experiencing IPV compared to those who did not report IPV (aOR 0.60, 95% CI: 0.35-1.00, p=0.051). There were no differences in IPV screening by age, race/ethnicity, rurality, marital status, or education level.

The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) recommends physician screening for IPV during general obstetric care and around the time of pregnancy, as it is critically important to identify and refer women in need of support. These data and recommendations for intervention efforts have been presented to community members and organizations in Tennessee through the Maternal Health Task Force. An infographic was developed to highlight key results and recommendations, which has been distributed electronically and is available online. Additionally, these data will be used to advance the goals and objectives of the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) in relation to the recently awarded HHS/OWH Partnership Programs to Reduce Maternal Deaths due to Violence grant.

Abbreviated Description: Intimate partner violence (IPV) contributes to over half of pregnancy-associated homicides in Tennessee (TN); The Tennessee Maternal Mortality Review Committee determined that three-quarters of those deaths were preventable. This poster will display the findings from a cross-sectional multivariate analysis using Tennessee Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) data, a population-based surveillance system that gathers information about maternal attitudes, behaviors, and experiences before, during, and shortly after pregnancy. Understanding characteristics of women reporting IPV as well as screening practices around the time of pregnancy may inform intervention efforts in TN, and across the country, with the goal of decreasing pregnancy-associated mortality.