Intimate Partner Violence and Risk for Depression Among Postpartum Women in Lima, Peru

A cross-sectional study of 2,317 women who delivered at Instituto Nacional Materno Perinatal, Lima, Peru, was carried out to evaluate risk of depression in relation to maternal experience with intimate partner violence (IPV) before and during pregnancy. Depression severity was assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire Depression Subset (PHQ-9). The prevalence of IPV during lifetime and pregnancy was 44% and 21%, respectively. Adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for each level of depression severity associated with history of IPV during pregnancy were: mild 1.4 (1.9–2.3); moderate 2.9 (1.8–4.5); moderately severe 5.5 (3.4–9.2); and severe 9.9 (5.1–19.9). A positive gradient was observed for severity of depression and IPV during pregnancy (trend p < 0.001). Postpartum women who experienced IPV during pregnancy had higher levels of depression severity than did nonabused women.