Psychological experiences and needs of perinatal women experiencing intimate partner violence: a qualitative meta-synthesis

Front Public Health. 2025 Oct 16;13:1678360. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1678360. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: More than a quarter of women aged 15 to 49 who have had a partner worldwide have experienced varying degrees of intimate partner violence (IPV). Cultural differences lead to different perceptions of intimate relationship violence among women, as well as varying degrees and forms of intimate relationship violence they experience.

AIM: This study aimed to systematically evaluate the psychological experiences and needs of women who experienced intimate relationship violence during the perinatal period, helping clinical nursing staff identify manifestations of violence and provide targeted assistance.

METHODS: We systematically searched PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Embase, CNKI, Wanfang Database, VIP Database, China Biomedical Literature Service System to involve relevant literature on the experience and needs of intimate relationship violence among perinatal women. The search period was from the establishment of the database to July 2025. An initial search using the keywords “intimate partner violence,” “pregnancy,” “perinatal,” and “qualitative research” retrieved 2,980 articles. We used JBI quality evaluation criteria to assess the quality of the included studies. This study followed the Enhancing transparency in reporting the synthesis of qualitative research (ENTREQ) guidelines.

RESULTS: A total of 16 studies were included. Four themes and nine sub themes were summarized and synthesized: Theme 1: Negative experiences (① aggravated physical discomfort symptoms, ② severe psychological trauma); Theme 2: Poor of maternal role adaptation (① Weakening of the bond with children, ② Lack of confidence in parenting), Theme 3: Resilience from motherhood (① Self-regulation, ② Seeking change); Theme 4: Neglected needs (① Information needs, ② Social support needs).

CONCLUSION: Perinatal women are prone to various forms of violence. This can lead to severe physical and psychological trauma as well as adverse pregnancy outcomes. Medical healthcare personnel should be trained to identify violent behaviors. Appropriate communication skills should be employed to expose intimate relationship violence. Training in skills such as parenting and psychological counseling should be provided to perinatal women. Social support organizations should offer economic, policy, legal and psychological assistance to perinatal women.

PMID:41179782 | PMC:PMC12571652 | DOI:10.3389/fpubh.2025.1678360