Exploring women’s experiences of domestic violence: Injury, impact and infant feeding

Keeling, June

Abstract

This article reports on a qualitative study involving 15 women who had experienced domestic violence in pregnancy. Findings from the general literature on this subject have highlighted many of the effects of domestic violence. There is, however, a gap in the research on how this violence affects a woman’s perceptions of herself, and the resulting impact this has on infant feeding. The women participants in this study were UK residents or supported by women’s refuges in the UK, and consented to a narrative interview. Following verbatim transcription, the process of thematic analysis assisted in the development of themes. Three interlinking themes emerged and are presented; physical injuries sustained through domestic violence, the impact of these injuries on a woman’s self-perception, and the influences of the injuries self-perception on infant feeding. The findings suggest that women may experience body dysmorphia as a consequence of the physical effects of domestic violence, which may then affect the woman’s choice on infant feeding.

Citation

Keeling, J. (2012). Exploring women’s experiences of domestic violence: Injury, impact and infant feeding. British Journal of Midwifery, 20(12), 843-848. https://doi.org/10.12968/bjom.2012.20.12.843

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Online Publication Date: Aug 16, 2013
• Publication Date: Dec 1, 2012
• Deposit Date: Jun 5, 2023
• Journal: British Journal of Midwifery
• Print ISSN: 0969-4900
• Publisher: Mark Allen Healthcare
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 20
• Issue: 12
• Pages: 843-848
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.12968/bjom.2012.20.12.843
• Keywords: Maternity and Midwifery