Vederhus J, Husebye ESN, Eid K, Gilhus NE, Bjørk MH. Prevalence of self-reported emotional, physical, and sexual abuse and association with fear of childbirth in pregnant women with epilepsy: The Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study.
Epilepsia 2022;
63:1822-1834. [PMID:
35352343 PMCID:
PMC9541758 DOI:
10.1111/epi.17242]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Revised: 03/03/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE
This study was undertaken to examine the prevalence of self-reported experiences with abuse in pregnant women with epilepsy and the association between having experienced abuse and childbirth expectations, particularly the fear of childbirth.
METHODS
We performed a cross-sectional study of women with and without epilepsy enrolled in the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study 1999-2008. Data on epilepsy diagnosis; antiseizure medication (ASM) use; emotional, physical, and sexual abuse; and childbirth expectations were collected from questionnaires completed during gestational Weeks 17-19 and 30.
RESULTS
Our study population included 295 women with ASM-treated epilepsy, 318 women with ASM-untreated epilepsy, and 93 949 women without epilepsy. A total of 115 women (47%) with ASM-treated and 132 women (57%) with ASM-untreated epilepsy reported any emotional, physical, or sexual abuse, compared to 25 100 women (32%) without epilepsy. The adjusted odds ratios (aORs) for having experienced any abuse were 1.8 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.4-2.3) and 1.8 (95% CI = 1.4-2.2) for ASM-treated and ASM-untreated epilepsy, respectively. A total of 29 women (11%) with ASM-treated and 34 women (11%) with ASM-untreated epilepsy reported having been raped, compared to 3088 women (4%) without epilepsy (aORs = 2.8 [95% CI = 1.8-4.1] and 2.9 [95% CI = 2.0-4.2], respectively). In nulliparous women with ASM-untreated epilepsy, having experienced abuse was associated with fear of childbirth; 22 women (31%) with abuse experiences reported fear of childbirth compared to five women (7%) with no experience of abuse (aOR = 5.4 [95% CI = 1.7-17.2]). This association was not seen in multiparous women or in women with ASM-treated epilepsy.
SIGNIFICANCE
More women with epilepsy reported emotional, physical, and sexual abuse than women without epilepsy. Such experiences may be associated with childbirth expectations.
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