Nursing Care for Domestic Violence during Pregnancy Research Paper

Nursing Care for Domestic Violence during Pregnancy - Research Paper Example Introduction Domestic violence is an important social issue, but also plays a huge role in the health of the expectant mother and her child. There is a number of ways that nurses can assess and deal with domestic violence. A pregnant woman who has been victim of domestic violence needs to be treated with confidence, care, and confidentiality, particularly because domestic violence can have a number of unfortunate physical and mental effects on the victim. The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between domestic violence and pregnancy, and the impact that battering can have on the expectant mother, both physical and mental. It will also explore how the nurse should deal with cases of domestic violence, including the assessment and care of these women, as well as what to expect from physical and mental examination of these patients. A final section will cover how I, as a future nurse, plan to address the issue in a clinical setting taking into account all the informati on covered within this paper. Provide an Overview of Domestic Violence as it Relates to Pregnancy Estimating the number of women that are affected by violence during pregnancy is extremely difficult for a number of reasons, but estimates place it from anywhere between 0.9% and 20.1%. Statistics also suggest that it is most prevalent in women earning under $20,000 a year (Jasinski). The women who are most likely to experience this type of violence have a history of victimization, so taking a history of the patient may help to clarify whether domestic abuse has occurred. There are a huge number of problems which are associated with domestic violence and pregnancy, both for the mother and the unborn child. For the baby, these include premature birth, low birth weight and foetal trauma. These may be compounded by the effects on the mother, which may be psychological and cause maternal behaviour changes, or physical causing health changes (Jasinski). Nursing Care Considerations Related t o Domestic Violence Assessment Considering the important consequences of domestic violence for the mother and the baby, there has been some debate about whether healthcare professionals should screen for domestic violence as the norm (O’Reilly, Beale and Gillies). This is based on findings that areas in which screening is present have a higher identification rate, and therefore it could be possible to prevent some of the problems associated with domestic violence in pregnancy. It also suggests that a nurse should consider the possibility of domestic violence during pregnancy, as the health of the mother and the child are paramount to nursing care. Discuss the Impact of Battering to the Individual Client, Newborn and the Family The impact of battering varies from individual to individual, although there are almost certainly physical, psychological, or a mixture of both effects on the women involved. It also affects the new born and the family of the victim. The woman’s mental health is likely to be affected. She is likely to suffer from anxiety, depression and a number of other disorders (Nasreen, Kabir, Forsell and Edhborg). This can lead to problems for the child, as the woman may be unable to care for herself or the new born. If the violence is aimed towards the womb of the victim, then there may be direct damage to the baby or premature birth (Devries et al.). Low