Prevalence of self‐reported emotional, physical, and sexual abuse and association with fear of childbirth in pregnant women with epilepsy: The Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study

OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to examine the prevalence of self‐reported experiences with abuse in pregnant women with epilepsy and the association between having experienced abuse and childbirth expectations, particularly the fear of childbirth. METHODS: We performed a cross‐sectional study of women with and without epilepsy enrolled in the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study 1999–2008. Data on epilepsy diagnosis; antiseizure medication (ASM) use; emotional, physical, and sexual abuse; and childbirth expectations were collected from questionnaires completed during gestational Weeks 17–19 and 30. RESULTS: Our study population included 295 women with ASM‐treated epilepsy, 318 women with ASM‐untreated epilepsy, and 93 949 women without epilepsy. A total of 115 women (47%) with ASM‐treated and 132 women (57%) with ASM‐untreated epilepsy reported any emotional, physical, or sexual abuse, compared to 25 100 women (32%) without epilepsy. The adjusted odds ratios (aORs) for having experienced any abuse were 1.8 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.4–2.3) and 1.8 (95% CI = 1.4–2.2) for ASM‐treated and ASM‐untreated epilepsy, respectively. A total of 29 women (11%) with ASM‐treated and 34 women (11%) with ASM‐untreated epilepsy reported having been raped, compared to 3088 women (4%) without epilepsy (aORs = 2.8 [95% CI = 1.8–4.1] and 2.9 [95% CI = 2.0–4.2], respectively). In nulliparous women with ASM‐untreated epilepsy, having experienced abuse was associated with fear of childbirth; 22 women (31%) with abuse experiences reported fear of childbirth compared to five women (7%) with no experience of abuse (aOR = 5.4 [95% CI = 1.7–17.2]). This association was not seen in multiparous women or in women with ASM‐treated epilepsy. SIGNIFICANCE: More women with epilepsy reported emotional, physical, and sexual abuse than women without epilepsy. Such experiences may be associated with childbirth expectations.