Effect of intimate partner violence during pregnancy on maternal mental health: a cohort study in central Vietnam

This study aims to explore the effects of intimate partner violence during pregnancy (p-IPV) on postpartum depression among women in central Vietnam. p-IPV was defined among 150 women aged 18 years and older in the third trimester of their pregnancy. Baseline data was collected between February and May 2019, and then those women were followed up to 3-5 months after childbirth to assess depression using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Data collection was completed in September 2019. Relative risk was estimated to identify the effect of p-IPV on maternal postpartum depression. Twenty-one women reported IPV during pregnancy. In the follow-up assessment, 8 of 21 mothers exposed to p-IPV and 23 of 127 mothers not exposed to p-IPV developed postpartum depression. p-IPV including emotional and physical violence were increased the risk of postpartum depression. The findings support evidence that p-IPV increases the risk of postpartum depression among women in central Vietnam.