This master's thesis explores the relationship between the experience and time of the experience of sexual violence and fear of labour and mental health during pregnancy. Although many women experience sexual violence, it is often neglected in society due to cultural specifics, the circumstances in which violence is perpetrated, and its taboo nature. Due to the characteristics of the perinatal period, in which, in addition to physical changes in the body, there are also many psychological changes, pregnant women who experience sexual violence face a variety of fears and worries. This, in the absence of adequate support from health professionals, can lead to various psychosomatic complications during this period. This study, which was conducted in 2018 at the Division of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, included 1,328 pregnant women in their last trimester. The battery of measuring aids, consisting of demographic questions, questions about health and current pregnancy, the experience of sexual violence and the time of experiencing sexual violence, fear of labour, postpartum depression, anxiety, life satisfaction, and social support, was completed in paper form at the Antenatal education for birth and parenting. The results show that pregnant women with the experience of sexual violence faced more fear of labour and more mental health problems than pregnant women without the experience of sexual violence. However, pregnant women with the experience of sexual violence did not differ based on time of the experience of sexual violence in fear of labour, or mental health problems. Moreover, the quality of partnership only moderated the relationship between the experience of sexual violence, depression, and anxiety, whereas social support did not moderate either the relationship between the experience of sexual violence and fear of labour or the relationship between the experience of sexual violence and mental health problems. The results of this master's thesis will contribute to more effective professional approaches for working with women in the perinatal period who have experienced sexual violence.
|