Domestic Violence and Maternal Depression in Latino Women

Domestic Violence and Maternal Depression in Latino Women

Domestic violence is a high incidence problem in the United States that affects approximately twenty percent of couples. Statistics from the Domestic Violence Resource Center shows that one in four women has experienced domestic violence during their life time, with an estimated range between 960,000 incidents of violence. About 3 million women have been physically abused by their husband or boyfriends per year. (Domestic Violence Resource Center, 2011). Latinos are the fastest growing population in the United States, and even though the incidence of domestic violence in this particular group has been reported, studies regarding prevention of domestic violence during pregnancy are limited.

Women, who are exposed to domestic violence, especially during pregnancy, are at higher risk for maternal depression or postpartum depression, the period ranging from birth to one year after delivery of a child (Valentine, 2010). This can prove the relationship of domestic violence to the post-partum depression among Hispanic immigrant women between the ages eighteen and forty in the state of Delaware, which can be used in this research study, as it tells the frequency of the occurrence of such incidents. The purpose of this study is to analyze the incidence and prevalence of postpartum depression caused by domestic violence in pregnant immigrant Hispanic women between the ages of eighteen and forty in the state of Delaware who received prenatal care and are currently within one year in the post-partum period.

Cultural barriers found in the Hispanic population include domestic violence as part of normal behavior rather than an abusive behavior. The belief where abuse is seen as normal creates an obstacle for the victim to seek appropriate treatment because people think that domestic violence is very normal; therefore, they do not take the abused ...