Intimate Partner Violence and Community Service Needs Among Pregnant and Postpartum Latina Women (Violence and Victims)

Health care providers are advised to refer abused women to needed community services. However, little is known about abused women's perceived need for services, particularly among Latina women. The authors examined the relationship between intimate partner violence (IPV) and perceived needs for legal, social and job services among a prospective cohort of 210 pregnant Latinas. IPV was associated with needing social and legal services at most time points. Women with recent IPV experiences reported greater service needs than women with more remote IPV experiences, who in turn reported greater need than women without IPV experiences. The authors conclude that IPV may be associated with ongoing perceived needs for social and legal services among Latina perinatal patients.

Publication Authors:

• David P. Eiserman
• Erin Richardson
• Lekeisha Sumner
• Sawssan R. Ahmed
• Honghu Liu
• Jeannette Valentine
• Michael A. Rodriguez, MD, MPH