The impact of severe perinatal events on maternity care providers: a scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Severe events during the perinatal period can be experienced as traumatic by pregnant women, their partners or others who are closely involved. This includes maternity care providers who can be affected by being involved in or observing these events. This may have an impact on their personal well-being and professional practice, influencing quality of care. The aim of this study is to map research investigating the impact of severe events during the perinatal period on maternity care providers, and how these experiences affect their well-being and professional practice. METHOD: A scoping review following the manual of the Joanna Briggs Institute was undertaken. The electronic bibliographic databases included PubMed/MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, SocINDEX, Cochrane, Scopus, Web of Science and databases for grey literature. Records passing the two-stage screening process were assessed, and their reference lists hand searched. We included primary research papers that presented data from maternity care professionals on the impact of severe perinatal traumatic events. A descriptive content analysis and synthesis was undertaken. RESULTS: Following a detailed systematic search and screening of 1,611 records, 57 papers were included in the scoping review. Results of the analysis identified four categories, which highlighted the impact of traumatic perinatal events on maternity care providers, mainly midwives, obstetricians and nurses: Traumatic events, Impact of traumatic events on care providers, Changes in care providers' practice and Support for care providers; each including several subcategories. CONCLUSION: The impact of traumatic perinatal events on maternity care providers ranged from severe negative responses where care providers moved position or resigned from their employment in maternity care, to responses where they felt they became a better clinician. However, a substantial number appeared to be negatively affected by traumatic events without getting adequate support. Given the shortage of maternity staff and the importance of a sustainable workforce for effective maternity care, the impact of traumatic perinatal events requires serious consideration in maintaining their wellbeing and positive engagement when conducting their profession. Future research should explore which maternity care providers are mostly at risk for the impact of traumatic events and which interventions can contribute to prevention.

Umbilical cord blood acid-base analysis at birth and long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Umbilical cord blood acid-base sampling is routinely performed at many hospitals. Recent studies have questioned this practice and the association of acidosis with cerebral palsy. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the associations between the results of umbilical cord blood acid-base analysis at birth and long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes and mortality in children. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched six databases using the search strategy: umbilical cord AND outcomes. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials, cohorts and case-control studies from high-income countries that investigated the association between umbilical cord blood analysis and neurodevelopmental outcomes and mortality from 1 year after birth in children born at term. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: We critically assessed the included studies, extracted data and conducted meta-analyses comparing adverse outcomes between children with and without acidosis, and the mean proportions of adverse outcomes. The certainty of evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations approach. MAIN RESULTS: We have very low confidence in the following findings: acidosis was associated with higher cognitive development scores compared with non-acidosis (mean difference 5.18, 95% CI 0.84-9.52; n = two studies). Children with acidosis also showed a tendency towards higher risk of death (relative risk [RR] 5.72, 95% CI 0.90-36.27; n = four studies) and CP (RR 3.40, 95% CI 0.86-13.39; n = four studies), although this was not statistically significant. The proportion of children with CP was 2.39/1000 across the studies, assessed as high certainty evidence. CONCLUSION: Due to low certainty of evidence, the associations between umbilical cord blood gas analysis at delivery and long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes in children remains unclear.

Experiences of childbirth care among immigrant and non-immigrant women: a cross-sectional questionnaire study from a hospital in Norway.

BACKGROUND: Immigrant women have higher risks for poor pregnancy outcomes and unsatisfactory birth experiences than the general population. The mechanisms behind these associations remain largely unknown, but they may result from differential care provided to immigrant women or unsatisfactory interactions with health providers. This study aimed to investigate immigrant and non-immigrant women's experiences of health care during childbirth, particularly assessing two dimensions: perceived general quality of care and attainment of health care needs during childbirth. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study carried out over 15 months in 2020 and 2021, and data were collected from a self-completed questionnaire. The labour and birth subscale from the Experience of Maternity Care questionnaire was used to assess the primary outcome of care experiences. A total of 680 women completed the questionnaire approximately within two days after birth (mean 2.1 days) at a hospital in Trondheim, in central Norway. The questionnaire was provided in eight languages. RESULTS: The 680 respondents were classified as immigrants (n = 153) and non-immigrants (n = 527). Most women rated their quality of care during childbirth as high (91.5%). However, one-quarter of the women (26.6%) reported unmet health care needs during childbirth. Multiparous immigrant women were more likely than multiparous non-immigrant women to report that their health care needs were unmet during childbirth (OR: 3.31, 95% CI: 1.91-5.72, p < 0.001, aOR: 2.83, 95% CI: 1.53-5.18, p = 0.001). No other significant differences between immigrant versus non-immigrant women were found in subjective ratings of childbirth care experiences. Having a Norwegian-born partner and a high level of Norwegian language skills did not influence the immigrant women's experience of childbirth care. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that many women feel they receive high-quality health care during childbirth, but a considerable number still report not having their health care needs met. Also, multiparous immigrant women report significantly more unmet health care needs than non-immigrants. Further research is required to assess immigrant women's childbirth experiences and for health care providers to give optimal care, which may need to be tailored to a woman's cultural background and individual expectations.

A qualitative study of public health nurses' experiences detecting and preventing child maltreatment in primary care settings.

AIM: To explore how public health nurses in child and family health centres experience detecting and preventing child maltreatment. DESIGN: Qualitative study. METHODS: Fourteen semi-structured individual interviews with public health nurses who worked in 11 different child and family health centres were conducted. The interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Three themes were identified: (i) integrating knowledge to prevent child maltreatment as part of their everyday job, (ii) striving hard to detect child maltreatment and (iii) experiencing the assignment to be complex and demanding. CONCLUSION: Despite extensive experience, knowledge and following the guidelines, public health nurses in this study had difficulties finding children exposed to child maltreatment in child and family health centres. Public health nurses called for mutual multidisciplinary cooperation with other services and organizational facilitation, such as enough time and clear guidelines to effectively address this issue. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: This study provides knowledge about how public health nurses work with child maltreatment at the Child and Family Health Center, which can serve as valuable foundation for further research as well for collaborating services. REPORTING METHOD: EQUATOR guidelines were followed, using the COREQ checklist. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patient or public contribution.

Safe Pregnancy intervention for intimate partner violence: a randomised controlled trial in Norway among culturally diverse pregnant women.

BACKGROUND: Intimate partner violence (IPV) during pregnancy is a global health problem with adverse consequences for mothers, infants and families. We hypothesise that information about IPV and safety behaviours during pregnancy has the potential to increase quality of life and the use of safety behaviours and prevent IPV. METHODS: A multicentre randomised controlled trial among culturally diverse pregnant women in Norway, to test the effect of a tablet-based video intervention about IPV and safety behaviours. Women attending routine antenatal check-ups alone (baseline) were screened for violence (Abuse Assessment Screen) by responding to questions on a tablet, and randomised (1:1) by computer to receive an intervention or a control video. The intervention video presented information about IPV and safety behaviours. The controls viewed a video promoting healthy pregnancy in general. Outcome measures were assessed three months post-partum: The World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF, the Composite Abuse Scale on violence during the last 12 months and use of safety behaviours based on a 15-item checklist. A general linear model for repeated measures was used to examine the intervention's effect. The analyses were conducted by intention to treat. RESULTS: Among 1818 eligible women, 317 reported IPV and were randomised to an intervention (157) or a control group (160). A total of 251 (79.2%) women completed the follow-up questionnaire: 120 (76.4%) in the intervention group and 131 (81.9%) in the control group. At follow-up, 115 (45.8%) women reported a history of IPV. Few women (n = 39) reported IPV during the last 12 months. No differences in quality-of-life domains and overall quality of life and health were found between the intervention and the control groups. We detected no differences between the use of safety behaviours or IPV frequency and severity during the last 12 months. CONCLUSION: Our intervention did not improve women's quality of life, use of safety behaviours or exposure to violence. Nevertheless, a tablet-based tool may motivate women experiencing IPV to seek help and support. More research is needed regarding tablet-based interventions for women experiencing IPV, particularly culturally sensitive interventions. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT03397277 registered in clinicaltrials.gov on 11/01/2018.

The Safe Pregnancy study - promoting safety behaviours in antenatal care among Norwegian, Pakistani and Somali pregnant women: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Intimate partner violence (IPV) around the time of pregnancy is a recognized global health problem with damaging consequences. However, little is known about the effect of violence assessment and intervention during pregnancy. We hypothesise that routine enquiry about IPV during pregnancy, in combination with information about IPV and safety behaviours, has the potential to increase the use of these behaviours and prevent and reduce IPV. METHODS: The Safe Pregnancy study is a randomised controlled trial (RCT) to test the effectiveness of a tablet-based intervention to promote safety behaviours among pregnant women. Midwives include women who attend routine antenatal care. The intervention consists of a screening questionnaire for violence and information about violence and safety behaviours through a short video shown on a tablet. The materials are available in different languages to ensure participation of Norwegian, Urdu, Somali and English-speaking women. Eligible women answer baseline questions on the tablet including the Abuse Assessment Scale (AAS). Women who screen positive on the AAS will be randomized to an intervention video that contains information about violence and safety behaviours and women in the control group to a video with general information about a healthy and a safe pregnancy. All women receive information about referral resources. Follow up will be at three months post-partum, when the woman attends the maternal and child health centre (MCHC) for the baby's check-up. Outcome measures are: Use of safety behaviours and quality of life (primary outcomes), prevalence of violence, mental health measures and birth outcomes (secondary outcomes). Intention to treat analysis will be performed. DISCUSSION: The project will provide evidence on whether enquiry about violence and a short video intervention on a tablet is effective and feasible to prevent or reduce harm from IPV among women who attend antenatal care. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study is registered in ClinicalTrials.gov. Identifier: NCT03397277 (Registered 11th January 2018).

Talking about intimate partner violence in multi-cultural antenatal care: a qualitative study of pregnant women's advice for better communication in South-East Norway.

BACKGROUND: Intimate partner violence (IPV) against women constitutes a major public health problem. Antenatal care is considered a window of opportunity to disclose and to communicate about IPV. However, little is known about how women from different ethnic backgrounds wish to communicate about their experiences with IPV during pregnancy in antenatal care. The aim of the present study was to explore how women from different ethnic backgrounds experienced IPV and what their recommendations were about how midwives should communicate about IPV in antenatal care. METHODS: Qualitative individual interviews with eight women who had experienced IPV during pregnancy were conducted and analysed using thematic analysis. The participants were purposively recruited from three crisis shelters in South-East Norway. RESULTS: The participants either had immigrant backgrounds (n = 5) or were ethnic Norwegians (n = 3). All participants received antenatal care by a midwife. Although none of the participants were asked about IPV during antenatal care, they wished to talk about their experiences. Most participants felt that it would be important for the midwife to make them aware that they were victims of violence. Participants offered different suggestions on how and when midwives should talk about IPV. Facilitators to talk about IPV with the midwife were a good relationship with and the trustworthiness of the midwife, information about possible negative health outcomes for the newborn owing to IPV and knowing that the midwife could help them. The main barriers to talk about IPV with the midwife were that the participants were accompanied by their husbands during antenatal care, fear that the Child Welfare Service would take away their children after disclosure and cultural acceptance of violence. Participants with immigrant backgrounds also experienced difficulties in talking about IPV owing to their limited language skills. They thought that professionally trained interpreters with experience of IPV could overcome this barrier. CONCLUSION: Even though none of the participants were asked about IPV in antenatal care, they offered different suggestions on how and when midwives should talk about IPV. Participants irrespective of their ethnical backgrounds perceived antenatal care as a key area to facilitate disclosure of IPV. Midwives' communication and strategic skills to address IPV are crucial for help-seeking women. Training midwives' skills in culture-sensitive communication might help to overcome cultural barriers to talk about violence.

Norwegian midwives' opinion of their midwifery education - a mixed methods study.

BACKGROUND: Midwifery education in Norway has undergone radical reforms in the past few decades. In 2004, the compulsory year of paid internship was removed from the requirement to become an authorised midwife. Since then, authorisation as a midwife depends on the successful completion of a two-year full-time academic course, consisting of 50% clinical practice and 50% theoretical education. Our objective was to examine midwives' opinion of their Norwegian midwifery education in relation to their midwifery practice, comparing those educated with internship to those without. METHODS: We performed a mixed-methods study based on data from a nationwide cross-sectional survey. A sample of 547 midwives completed a postal questionnaire, autumn 2014. Midwives were asked how they were educated, how their education prepared them for practice (multiple choice) and to freely comment on their midwifery education. Thematic analysis and descriptive and comparative analysis was used. Data sets were analysed independently and jointly interpreted. RESULTS: Of our sample, 154 (28.2%) were educated through a two-year midwifery education without internship, while 393 (71.8%) had a one-year midwifery education with internship. Compared to midwives who had internship, midwives without were four times more likely to report that their education did not, or only partially prepare them for their work as a midwife. The association lost its significance when adjusted for experience as a midwife. According to the qualitative data, the primary reason for the association was insufficient clinical practice during education. Relevant clinical placement, ample practice time with good preceptorship and internship were proposed as methods to prepare for practice as a midwife. The theory-practice gap was highlighted as another hindrance to being prepared for practice. CONCLUSIONS: Academisation of the midwifery education has resulted in newly qualified midwives feeling less prepared for practice. Midwives would have liked more time for clinical practice and simulation training of core midwifery clinical skills included in the education. Midwifery educations need to explore ways to achieve a good balance between practice and theory. Workplaces need to explore alternative ways to internship to assist new graduates to become confident midwives with a strong midwifery identity.

Detecting and preventing child maltreatment in primary care and PHNs' role-a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Child maltreatment is a global problem that puts children at risk of mental illness, substance abuse, and premature death. Interdisciplinary collaboration is important in preventing and detecting child maltreatment. In Norway, children undergo universal preventive health assessments and receive complimentary follow-up care from specialized public health nurses in child and family health clinics. These nurses conduct regular check-ups and home visits to monitor children for signs of maltreatment. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to describe how public health nurses at child and family health clinics follow the National Clinical Guidelines to prevent and detect child maltreatment, with a particular focus on clinical procedures and interdisciplinary collaboration. Furthermore, we aim to determine factors that are associated with identification of child maltreatment. DESIGN: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among public health nurses working in primary care between October 24th and December 31st, 2022. Public health nurses who worked with children aged 0-5 years and had consultations with families were eligible to participate, resulting in 554 responses. The study employed descriptive analysis, including frequency, percentage and mean, as well as a two-step logistic regression analysis. The study was approved by the relevant authority, and informed consent was obtained through questionnaire completion. RESULTS: The public health nurses in this study displayed strong adherence to the guidelines and utilized various comprehensive assessment procedures to monitor child well-being, growth, and development. However, there was limited and infrequent collaboration with other professionals, such as child protection services, general practitioners, and hospitals. Most public health nurses reported occasional suspicion of child maltreatment, with age and years of experience in child and family clinics influencing these suspicions. Older public health nurses were more likely to suspect physical violence, while those with less than two years of experience reported less experience in suspecting maltreatment. Additional education increased the probability of suspecting sexual violence. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides insights into the practices of public health nurses in Norway regarding the detection and prevention of child maltreatment in child and family clinics. While adherence to guidelines is strong, suspicion of maltreatment is relatively rare. Collaboration across agencies is crucial in addressing child maltreatment. Age and experience may influence the detection of maltreatment. Improved collaboration, targeted guidelines, and ongoing professional development are needed to enhance child protection.

The Consequences of A History of Violence on Women's Pregnancy and Childbirth in the Nordic Countries: A Scoping Review.

Violence against women (VAW) is a global challenge also in the childbearing period. Despite high gender equality, there is a high prevalence of VAW in the Nordic countries. This scoping review aims to explore predictors for and consequences of a history of violence on women's pregnancy and childbirth in the Nordic countries, including women's experience of the impact of violence and the interventions used to detect, address consequences, and prevent further violence. The framework by Arksey and O'Malley was followed, and English, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian, Danish, and Swedish literature was included. The population was women aged ≥18 residing in the Nordic countries during the perinatal period. Eight databases were searched: MEDLINE, CINAHL, PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science, ASSIA, Social Services-, and Sociological abstracts. There was no limitation of the search time frame. The initial screening resulted in 1,104 records, and after removing duplicates, 452 remained. Finally, 61 papers met the inclusion criteria. The results covering the past 32 years indicated that childbearing women with a history of violence are at greater risk of common complaints and hospitalization during pregnancy, fear of childbirth, Cesarean section, breastfeeding difficulties, and physical and mental health problems. While extensive research was found on the associations between a history of and current violence and outcomes related to pregnancy, there was a lack of intervention studies and studies from Finland. Efforts must be made to scientifically test the methods used to reduce and treat the adverse effects of a history of violence and prevent further violence.

Developing and validating the Nepalese Abuse Assessment Screen (N-AAS) for identifying domestic violence among pregnant women in Nepal.

This study culturally adapted and validated a Nepalese version of the Abuse Assessment Screen (AAS) tool for identifying domestic violence among pregnant women in Nepal, creating the Nepalese Abuse Assessment Screen (N-AAS). International and national topic experts reviewed the initial N-AAS version using the Delphi method, and pregnant women participated in cognitive interviews, providing feedback on the N-AAS as user experts. Subsequent pre-testing of a comprehensive questionnaire, which included the translated version of the N-AAS, occurred in two tertiary care hospitals using an electronic format known as Color-Coded Audio Computer-Assisted Self-Interview (C-ACASI). The study assessed the content validity index, compared the concurrent validity of the N-AAS with the gold standard interview, estimated the prevalence of domestic violence from two hospitals, and calculated the Kappa coefficient. The reliability of the entire questionnaire was also evaluated through a test-retest analysis, with content validity rated as "good to excellent" by topic and user experts and high test-retest reliability (91.2-98.9%), indicating consistency across questionnaires completed at two different time points, with 12% of participants reporting any form of violence. The N-AAS demonstrated ≥91.7% specificity for all forms of abuse, accurately identifying non-abuse cases. In addition, moderate to excellent sensitivity was observed for emotional abuse (52.5%) and physical abuse since marriage (50%), while sensitivity for physical abuse in the past 12 months was 100%. Thus, the N-AAS demonstrated reliable test-retest results with a good Kappa coefficient and specificity, as well as showing excellent sensitivity for detecting recent physical abuse and moderate sensitivity for detecting emotional abuse and physical abuse since marriage. Because cultural context often leads women to normalize and tolerate abuse from spouses and family members and women are thus reluctant to report abuse, the results imply that the N-AAS can serve as a valuable screening tool for domestic abuse in antenatal care settings in Nepal.

Sexual violence and antenatal hospitalization.

BACKGROUND: Studies have shown the negative impact sexual violence has on pregnancy outcome, yet the impact on antenatal hospitalization has been poorly examined. The aim of this study was to investigate if a history of sexual violence was associated with hospitalization during pregnancy. METHODS: A population-based national cohort study conducted by the Institute of Public Health, The Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort study. Women filled out questionnaires at 17 and 30 weeks' gestation. History of sexual violence was reported at three levels: pressured to sexual acts (mild), forced with violence (moderate), and raped (severe). The comparison group did not report sexual violence. Differences were assessed using Pearson's X(2) tests and logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: Of 78,660 women, 12.0% were pressured to sexual acts, 2.8% forced with violence, and 3.6% reported rape. A history of sexual violence was associated with significantly more hospitalizations during pregnancy, 6.6 percent for mild, 8.7 percent for moderate and 12.5 percent for severe, compared to 5.8 percent for no sexual violence. Women were significantly more often admitted for hyperemesis, bleeding, threatening preterm birth, other reasons and admitted without giving any reason. Reporting severe sexual violence had an AOR for being hospitalized with hyperemesis or threatening preterm birth of 1.9 (95% CI 1.4-2.5), and 1.9 (1.3-2.7) respectively. Similarly, severe sexual violence was associated with being admitted more than once during pregnancy AOR 1.9 (1.3-2.7). CONCLUSION: Women with a history of sexual violence reported significantly more antenatal hospitalizations during pregnancy than women without such a history.

Adaption and validation of the childbirth experience questionnaire (CEQ-SK) in Slovakia.

INTRODUCTION: Using validated and reliable instruments to examine women's birth experiences is important to ensure respectful care. There is a lack of validated instruments for evaluating childbirth care in the Slovak context. In this study, we aimed to adapt and validate the childbirth experience questionnaire (CEQ) in Slovakia (CEQ-SK). METHOD: The CEQ-SK was developed and modified from the English version of the CEQ/CEQ2. Face validity was tested in two pre-tests. A convenience sample, recruited through social media, included 286 women who had given birth within the last six months. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. Construct and discriminant validity was assessed by exploratory factor analysis and known-group comparison. RESULTS: The exploratory factor analysis revealed a three-dimensional structure, explaining 63.3% of the total variance. The factors were labelled 'Own capacity', 'Professional support' and 'Decision making'. No items were excluded. Internal consistency was demonstrated with an overall Cronbach's alpha of 0.94 for the total scale. Primiparous women, women who had an emergency cesarean section, and women who had been exposed to the Kristeller manoeuvre had a lower overall score on the CEQ-SK compared to parous women, women having a vaginal birth and women not exposed to the Kristeller manoeuvre. CONCLUSION: The CEQ-SK was found to be a valid and reliable tool for evaluating childbirth experience in Slovakia. The original CEQ is a four-dimensional questionnaire; however, factor analysis showed a three-dimensional structure in the Slovak sample. This needs to be taken into consideration when comparing the results from the CEQ-SK with studies that use the four-dimensional structure.

Cultural Sensitivity in Interventions Aiming to Reduce or Prevent Intimate Partner Violence During Pregnancy: A Scoping Review.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) around the time of pregnancy is a recognized global health problem. Ethnic minorities and immigrant pregnant women experiencing IPV require culturally responsive health services. The aim of this scoping review was to identify aspects of cultural sensitivity in interventions to prevent or reduce IPV among ethnic minorities and immigrant pregnant women in high-income countries. Eight databases were searched in November 2019. Any type of scientific research, quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods studies regarding interventions against IPV among pregnant women were considered for inclusion. Resnicow et al.'s definition of cultural sensitivity was used to identify aspects of cultural sensitivity. Ten papers relating to nine interventions/studies met our inclusion criteria. These studies, which included randomized controlled trials, a mixed methods study, a program evaluation, and a longitudinal study, were conducted in Australia, Belgium, Norway, and the United States. Aspects of surface cultural sensitivity, including the translation of intervention content into the language of the target group(s) and the involvement of bilingual staff to recruit participants, were identified in eight studies. Deep structure aspects of cultural sensitivity were identified in one study, where the intervention content was pretested among the target group(s). Results that could be related to the culture-sensitive adaptions included successful recruitment of the target population. Three studies were planning to investigate women's experiences of interventions, but no publications were yet available. This scoping review provides evidence that culturally sensitive interventions to reduce or prevent IPV among immigrant pregnant women are limited in number and detail.

Sexual violence and pregnancy-related physical symptoms.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have investigated the impact of sexual violence on health during pregnancy. We examined the association between sexual violence and the reporting of physical symptoms during pregnancy. METHODS: A population-based national cohort study conducted by The Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort study (MoBa) collected data from pregnant women through postal questionnaires at 17 and 32 weeks gestation. Three levels of sexual violence were measured: 1) mild (pressured into sexual relations), 2) moderate (forced with violence into sexual relation) and 3) severe (rape). Differences between women reporting and not reporting sexual violence were assessed using Pearson's X2 test and multiple logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: Of 78 660 women, 12.0% (9 444) reported mild, 2.8% (2 219) moderate and 3.6% (2 805) severe sexual violence. Sexual violence was significantly associated with increased reporting of pregnancy-related physical symptoms, both measured in number of symptoms and duration/degree of suffering. Compared to women not reporting sexual violence, the probability of suffering from ≥8 pregnancy-related symptoms estimated by Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) was 1.49 (1.41-1.58) for mild sexual violence, 1.66(1.50-1.84) for moderate and 1.78 (1.62-1.95) for severe. Severe sexual violence both previously and recently had the strongest association with suffering from ≥8 pregnancy-related symptoms, AOR 6.70 (2.34-19.14). CONCLUSION: A history of sexual violence is associated with increased reporting of pregnancy-related physical symptoms. Clinicians should consider the possible role of a history of sexual violence when treating women who suffer extensively from pregnancy-related symptoms.

Antenatal depression and the association of intimate partner violence among a culturally diverse population in southeastern Norway: A cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: Antenatal depression and intimate partner violence (IPV) are independently associated with adverse short- and long-term health effects for women and their children. The main aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence of antenatal depression and the association between symptoms of antenatal depression and physical, emotional and sexual abuse in a culturally diverse population attending antenatal care. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 1812 culturally diverse pregnant women from Safe Pregnancy, a randomized controlled trial to test the effect of an intimate partner violence intervention for abused women in southeastern Norway. RESULTS: More than one in ten women (14%) reported symptoms of antenatal depression. Women with symptoms of antenatal depression were significantly younger and single, had lower educational level, more limited economic resources and were more likely to use tobacco and to report negative experiences regarding alcohol consumption, including that of her partner, compared to women with no symptoms of depression. A total of 15.4% of the women reported experiences of some form of IPV during their lifetime. Most women reported previous experiences of IPV rather than recent experiences. Women with a history of IPV were significantly more likely to report symptoms of antenatal depression, after adjusting for confounding factors (AOR=1.96; 95% CI: 1.35-2.83). CONCLUSIONS: Women who reported symptoms of antenatal depression were significantly more likely to have experienced physical, emotional and sexual IPV than women with no history of IPV. It is important to identify women at risk of antenatal depression in order to offer appropriate services during pregnancy.

Pregnant Women's Attitudes Toward and Experiences With a Tablet Intervention to Promote Safety Behaviors in a Randomized Controlled Trial: Qualitative Study.

BACKGROUND: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is recognized as a global health problem. Women with low education and limited resources are more vulnerable, as are immigrant women. There is a lack of evidence on how health care professionals should communicate about and intervene against IPV during pregnancy. Earlier research has shown that when women manage digital questionnaires, they are more likely to disclose IPV. However, little is known about how women experience eHealth interventions with safety behaviors to prevent IPV. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore pregnant women's attitudes toward and experiences with a tablet intervention to promote safety behaviors in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) in antenatal care. METHODS: Individual semistructured interviews were conducted with 10 women who participated in the Safe Pregnancy Study. The Safe Pregnancy Study was a randomized controlled trial (RCT) using a tablet intervention containing IPV questions and a film to promote safety behaviors. Six women from the intervention group and four women from the control group were recruited. The content was available in Norwegian, Somali, and Urdu. Five of the women participating in the interviews spoke Norwegian at home and five spoke another language. The majority of the women who did not speak Norwegian at home perceived themselves as relatively well integrated. The interviews were conducted at different maternal and child health centers (MCHCs) in Norway between March 2020 and June 2020. The analysis was guided by thematic analysis. RESULTS: Women who participated in the tablet intervention appreciated being asked questions about IPV on a tablet. However, it was important to supplement the tablet intervention with face-to-face communication with a midwife. The MCHC was regarded as a suitable place to answer questions and watch a film about safety behaviors. Women suggested making the tablet intervention available in other settings where women meet health care professionals. Some women expressed uncertainty about their anonymity regarding their answers in the questionnaire. We found no real differences between ethnic Norwegian and immigrant women's attitudes toward and experiences with the tablet intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Questions about IPV and a film about safety behaviors on a tablet, as a supplement to face-to-face communication, might initiate and facilitate communication about IPV in antenatal care. Uncertainty regarding anonymity has to be addressed when questions about IPV are being asked on a tablet. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03397277; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03397277.

User-Involvement in the Development of a Culturally Sensitive Intervention in the Safe Pregnancy Study to Prevent Intimate Partner Violence.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) during pregnancy has negative health impacts on the woman and the fetus. There is a lack of evidence supporting effective interventions to prevent IPV during pregnancy. This user-involvement study was conducted to get feedback on a culturally sensitive, tablet intervention containing questions about violence and safety-behaviors and a video promoting safety behaviors. This resulted in important feedback on the intervention content. Our findings show that women are in favor of disclosing IPV via a tablet. They suggested ways to address barriers for disclosure, such as safeguarding anonymity and creating a trustful relationship with the midwife.

Intimate partner violence and the association of pregnancy intendedness - A cross-sectional study in southeastern Norway.

OBJECTIVES: Unintended pregnancy in the context of intimate partner violence (IPV) is a public health issue. It is associated with increased health risks for women and their children. Our objective was to investigate the association between unintended pregnancy and emotional, physical and sexual IPV in a multi-cultural population attending routine antenatal care. STUDY DESIGN: A prospective cross-sectional study of 1788 pregnant women who filled out a questionnaire during pregnancy as part of a randomized controlled trial conducted in southeastern Norway. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Pregnancy intendedness was measured by asking women if their pregnancy was planned or not. The Abuse Assessment Screen and the Composite Abuse Scale R-SF, consisting of descriptive questions, were used to measure IPV. Chi-square tests, a Mann-Whitney U test, and binary logistic regression analysis were used. RESULTS: Almost one in five women (17.4%) reported that their current pregnancy was unintended. Women with unintended pregnancy were significantly younger, had lower educational backgrounds, more limited economic resources and were more likely to be non-native Norwegian speakers. A total of 15.3% of the women reported some experience of IPV in their lifetime. These women were significantly more likely to experience an unintended pregnancy than women who had not experienced IPV, after adjusting for confounding factors: AOR = 1.74 (95% CI [1.23-2.47]). CONCLUSIONS: Women who had experienced IPV were significantly more likely to have an unintended pregnancy than women who had not experienced IPV. It is of major importance to identify those women and offer appropriate services during pregnancy.

Fear of birth: Prevalence, counselling and method of birth at five obstetrical units in Norway.

BACKGROUND: There is increasing evidence that fear of birth can have long-term effects on the childbearing woman and the method of birth. AIM: To examine differences between five hospitals in Norway in the occurrence of fear of birth, counselling received and method of birth. METHOD: Source data was from the Norwegian cohort of the Bidens study and retrieved through a questionnaire and electronic patient records from five different hospitals in Oslo, Drammen, Tromsø, Ålesund and Trondheim, which included 2145 women. The Wijma Delivery Expectancy Questionnaire measured fear of birth, and a cut-off of ≥85 was used to define fear of birth. RESULTS: In total, 12% of the women reported fear of birth, with no significant differences between the different units. A total of 8.7% received counselling according to hospital obstetrical records, varying significantly from 5.7% in Drammen to 12.7% in Oslo. Only 24.9% of the women with fear of birth had counselling at their hospital. All the units provided counselling for women with fear, but the content varied. Overarching aims included helping women develop coping strategies like writing a birth plan and clearing up issues regarding prior births. A secondary objective was to prevent unnecessary caesarean section. Both primi- and multiparous women who reported fear of birth had a twofold increased risk of a planned caesarean section. CONCLUSION: There were no differences between five Norwegian hospitals regarding the occurrence of fear of birth. Counselling methods, resources, level of commitment and the number of women who received counselling varied; thus, hospital practices differed.