The Association between Intimate Partner Violence, Depression and Influenza-like Illness Experienced by Pregnant Women in Australia
Susan J. Rees,
Ruth Wells,
Mohammed Mohsin,
Nawal Nadar,
Batool Moussa,
Fatima Hassoun,
Mariam Yousif,
Batoul Khalil,
Yalini Krishna,
Heather Nancarrow,
Derrick Silove,
Jane Fisher
Affiliations
Susan J. Rees
School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
Ruth Wells
School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
Mohammed Mohsin
School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
Nawal Nadar
School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
Batool Moussa
School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
Fatima Hassoun
School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
Mariam Yousif
School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
Batoul Khalil
School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
Yalini Krishna
School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
Heather Nancarrow
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
Derrick Silove
School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
Jane Fisher
Global and Women’s Health Unit, Division of Planetary Health, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia
Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a major public health issue, including during pregnancy where it poses a serious risk to the woman’s health. Influenza-Like Illness (ILI) also causes significant morbidity for women during pregnancy. It may be possible that ILI in pregnancy is associated with IPV, and that depression and trauma history play a role in the connection. 524 Australia-born women and 578 refugee-background women participated in the study. Baseline participants were randomly recruited and interviewed from antenatal clinics between January 2015 and March 2016, and they were reinterviewed six months post-partum. Bivariate and path analysis were used to assess links between IPV, depression and ILI. One in 10 women (10%; 111 out of 1102) reported ILI during their pregnancy period and this rate was significantly (p Beta = 0.36 p Beta = 0.26, p < 0.001). Regardless of migration history, pregnant women who have experienced IPV and depression are more likely to report influenza-like symptoms in pregnancy. This may suggest that trauma and depression negatively affect immunity, although it could also indicate a connection between depressive symptoms and physical experiences of ILI.
