Assessment of the COVID-19 Pandemic’s Impact on Physical Intimate Partner Violence Against Pregnant Women in Ankara (Turkey): A Hospital-Based Study

PURPOSE: A significant increase in physical intimate partner violence (IPV) cases has been reported from many countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, and particularly during lockdown periods. The current study’s objectives are to define the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on physical IPV against pregnant women in Ankara. PATIENTS AND METHODS: During the one-year pre-pandemic and two-year pandemic, records of patients who sent by the judicial authorities to the Obstetrics and Gynecology Emergency Room (ER) at Ankara City Hospital were reviewed, and pregnant women who had been subjected to IPV were identified. RESULTS: Of pregnant women 19.1% in the pre-pandemic period, 29.4% in the first year and 51.5% in the second year of the pandemic period exposed to IPV. The mean age of IPV victims was 28.8 ± 6.5 years. Most ER applications were in the evening hours (48.5%), and majority of assailants were the victim’s husband (77.9%). Vast majority of victims were multigravida women (89.7), and most of the traumas were localized in abdomen and genitalia (50%). Three of the women (4.4%) had miscarriage. CONCLUSION: The increase in cases of IVP against pregnant women during the pandemic was striking, according to the current study. We think that this first study from Turkey on the IPV that pregnant women are exposed to during the pandemic can lead to extensive research focused on measures against IPV during pandemics, such as dissemination of telephone applications for IPV victims, increasing home visits by marriage therapists, and intensifying of education campaigns against violence.