10:30am - 11:30am (CDT) | 4087.0 - Stress and depressive symptoms as mediators between intimate partner violence and substance use during pregnancy
Current Topics in MCH Poster Session
Session: Current Topics in MCH Poster Session
Program: Maternal and Child Health
Authors:
Jessica Lewis, PhD
Claire Masters, MHP
Jeannette Ickovics, PhD
Abstract
Background
Intimate partner violence (IPV) during pregnancy is associated with adverse maternal and child health outcomes, including poor mental health, but the pathways connecting IPV to substance use during pregnancy remain unclear. This study examined the mediation effect of mental health on the associations between IPV and substance use during pregnancy.
Methods
Pregnant individuals (N=695) receiving Expect With Me group prenatal care in Nashville, TN and Detroit, MI completed surveys during second and third trimester of pregnancy. They reported experiences of verbal, physical, and sexual abuse by their partners, along with depressive symptoms, perceived stress, cigarette smoking, and alcohol use, during pregnancy. Mediation models examined the direct link between IPV and substance use (smoking, alcohol use), and its indirect pathway through perceived stress and depressive symptoms.
Results
Fifteen percent reported experiencing any form of IPV victimization during pregnancy. IPV victims showed elevated levels of perceived stress and depressive symptoms (p< 0.001) compared to non-victims. Smoking (25.3% versus 13.9%) and alcohol use (32.3% versus 14.6%) were also higher among IPV victims. Depressive symptoms fully mediated the relationship between IPV and smoking (34.0%) and alcohol use (52.1%). Path analysis showed IPV indirectly influenced smoking (coefficient= 0.22, 95% CI 0.04, 0.41) and alcohol use (coefficient= 0.39, 95% CI 0.13, 0.66) through depressive symptoms. Perceived stress did not mediate the association between IPV and substance use.
Conclusions
Interventions aimed at reducing IPV are important for decreasing depressive symptoms during pregnancy and, in turn, potentially lowering substance use and improving maternal and child health outcomes.