WALKER (1984) found that 59% of women in this study reported domestic violence during their first pregnancy.

HELTON (1986) surveyed 2676 pregnant women. Of these 21% reported experiencing domestic violence.

BULLOCK (1989) found that women who experience violence in pregnancy are 4 times more likely to have miscarriages and are 4 times more likely to have low birth weight infants.

SAMMONS (1981) found that abdominal trauma from domestic violence during pregnancy can result in foetal fractures, rupture of the uterus, liver or spleen, pelvic fractures and antepartum haemorrhage.

DANNENBURG (1995) found that domestic homicide to be that single most significant cause of death by injury for pregnant women.

PURDIE (1996) found that 21% of women in this study reported domestic violence during pregnancy. Of this 21% – 40% reported that the onset of the violence began when they were pregnant.

GAZMARARIAN (1996) found that violence in pregnancy maybe more common than pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes and placenta previa, conditions which women are routinely screened for.

McFARLANE (1996) found that women who are physically abused during pregnancy are at an increased risk of substance abuse and deliver low birth weight infants.

VASILANKO (1998) reported on the Saginaw Cooperative Hospital’s Community Prevention Program. This hospital had identified that there was an association between physical abuse in pregnancy and a high level of infant mortality. A screening and intervention program was implemented and the infant mortality rate was reduced by 42%.

CAMPBELL (1998) argues that the prevalence of domestic violence in pregnancy is greater that the prevalence of toxaemia (or pre-eclampsia) which is routinely screened for at each antenatal visit.

PAK (1998) found that the women in this study who experienced blunt abdominal trauma as a result of domestic violence were more likely to have peri-partum complications, such as premature rupture of membranes, preterm labour, and abruptio placentae.

Australian Studies       
SCUTT (1983) found that 9 out of the 312 women interviewed reported miscarriages as a direct result of domestic violence.

HEAD & TAFT (1995) found that a significant number of the abused women in their study reported pregnancy and childbirth as critical times in their abuse history.

ABS WOMEN AND SAFETY SURVEY (1996) found that 20% of women surveyed disclosed the onset of violence occurred during pregnancy.

WEBSTER (1996) found that women who are or have experienced violence in pregnancy experience more miscarriage, neonatal death, have low birth weight infants, suffer more injuries to the abdomen, abuse more substances, have an increase in late trimester bleeding, infection and premature delivery.

HUNTER (1996) reported that 12.5% of women who responded to the Northern Territory Phone In identified the onset of violence during pregnancy and a further 12.5% reported that the violence began in the post natal period after delivery.

THE AUSTRALIAN WOMEN’S WEEKLY (OCTOBER 1997) reported that 11% of women who responded to their survey reported having had a miscarriage as a result of domestic violence and 16% reported the onset of violence occurred during pregnancy.

Australian Hospital Emergency Department Studies   
ROBERTS (1993) found that 1 in 5 women attending an emergency department in a Brisbane hospital reported domestic violence.
 
BATES (1995) found that 25% of women attending an emergency department in Newcastle had experienced domestic violence.