Keywords

Intimate Partner Violence, Intimate Partner Homicide, Pregnancy, Violence During Pregnancy

Abstract

Using three separate and unique sources of data, this study was designed to address: a) the associations between pregnancy-related violence and femicide with sociodemographic characteristics of victims and offenders and with family dynamics, b) how pregnancy affects the risk for threats of violence, power and control tactics, physical violence, stalking, sexual violence, and femicide, and c) how pregnancy contributes to increased severity of abuse. The overall results reveal a significant statistical correlation between pregnancy and the increased risk of intimate partner abuse on many dimensions, including physical abuse, stalking and harassment, sexual abuse, threats of serious harm and death, lethality risk, and power and control. The correlation between pregnancy and femicide is less clear and in need of further examination. While the nature of pregnancy as a risk factor across multiple dimensions of abuse is certainly pervasive, the findings indicate that power and coercive control warrants close attention as a potentially prominent and dangerous dynamic. Women of younger age, those single or divorced, residing with an IP, and having children in the home were shown to have a significantly increased risk of non-lethal and lethal IPV in all three samples. The findings contribute evidence to existing literature concerning potentially catastrophic outcomes for pregnancies occurring in an abusive context, including extremely high rates of miscarriage in abusive relationships. Implications for practice and for research are discussed.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2009

Advisor

Jasinski, Jana

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Sciences

Department

Sociology

Degree Program

Sociology

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0002560

URL

http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0002560

Language

English

Release Date

May 2009

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access)

Included in

Sociology Commons

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