Caring for Mothers: A Narrative Review on Interpersonal Violence and Peripartum Mental Health

Marianna Mazza, Emanuele Caroppo, Giuseppe Marano, Daniela Chieffo, Lorenzo Moccia, Delfina Janiri, Lucio Rinaldi, Luigi Janiri and Gabriele Sani
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Marianna Mazza: Department of Psychiatry, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario “Agostino Gemelli” IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
Emanuele Caroppo: Department of Mental Health, Health Local Unit ASL ROMA 2, 00159 Rome, Italy
Giuseppe Marano: Department of Psychiatry, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario “Agostino Gemelli” IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
Daniela Chieffo: Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
Lorenzo Moccia: Department of Psychiatry, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario “Agostino Gemelli” IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
Delfina Janiri: Department of Psychiatry, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario “Agostino Gemelli” IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
Lucio Rinaldi: Department of Psychiatry, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario “Agostino Gemelli” IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
Luigi Janiri: Department of Psychiatry, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario “Agostino Gemelli” IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
Gabriele Sani: Department of Psychiatry, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario “Agostino Gemelli” IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 10, 1-13

Abstract: Interpersonal violence in the perinatal period is frequent and should be considered a prominent health issue due to the risk of escalation of violence and the significant impact on mothers’ parenting after childbirth. Domestic violence during pregnancy can be associated with fatal and non-fatal adverse health outcomes due to the direct trauma to a pregnant woman’s body and to the effect of stress on fetal growth and development. Emotional violence is a risk factor for prenatal and/or postpartum depression. Recent studies focusing on abusive situations during peripartum and possible preventive strategies were identified in PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Embase, and ScienceDirect. All of the available literature was retrospectively reviewed with a special attention to peer-reviewed publications from the last ten years. Results of the present narrative review suggest that perinatal health care professionals (general practitioners, gynecologists, obstetricians, psychologists, psychiatrists) should promptly detect interpersonal violence during and after pregnancy and provide health care for pregnant women. It seems pivotal to guarantee psychological care for abused women before, during, and after pregnancy in order to prevent the risk of depressive symptoms, other mental or physical sequelae, and mother-to-infant bonding failure. There is an urgent need for multifaceted interventions: programs should focus on several risk factors and should design tailored care pathways fitted to the specific needs of women and finalized to support them across the lifespan.

Keywords: depression; perinatal women; postpartum; pregnancy; violence; personalized medicine (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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