Nurses’ Involvement With Pregnant and Postpartum Women Suffering From Domestic Violence

Abstract

Aim: To identify nurses’ involvement with pregnant women who are victims of domestic violence (DV) in obstetric facilities that have organized efforts to screen and support victims of DV and those that do not.

Methods: This qualitative descriptive study conducted semi-structured interviews with nurses who had asked about DV or had heard about disclosure statements by women. The collected data were then analyzed.

Results: Nurses who were working or had worked in institutions with organizational efforts followed the basic rules of the organization or used their experience to create a safe and secure environment. They understood the impact of violence and the associated feelings. They also directly identified the situation of violence and provided individualized support aimed at restoring women’s power. Conversely, nurses with little experience in learning about DV who had worked in institutions without organizational efforts provided only basic nursing responses, continued to be involved without directly asking about the violence, and were unclear about individual support.

Conclusion: Organizational efforts and continuing education of nurses on violence and trauma are essential in responding to DV.