The Relationship of Sexual Satisfaction and Marital Satisfaction with Domestic Violence against Pregnant Women

Introduction     Domestic violence is one of the most important public health priorities that directly or indirectly impact on pregnancy outcomes. Given the importance of sexuality in pregnancy and its effect on marital relations, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between sexual satisfaction and violence against pregnant women. Materials and Methods    In this cross-sectional study, 430 pregnant women admitted to Fatemiyeh Hospital in Shahroud-Iran, during the first quarter of 2015, after obtaining informed consent, were selected to complete Larson Sexual Satisfaction Scale and ENRICH Marital Satisfaction Scale as well as Domestic Violence questionnaire. Relationships between variables were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results    The average age of mothers was 28±5.2 years. Prevalence of domestic violence was reported 84.4% in this study. The 55.8% of participants reported physical violence, 81.2% reported emotional violence and 25.3% reported sexual violence. The mean score of marital satisfaction in women with domestic violence (162.5 ± 28.9) was significantly lower than that in pregnant women without domestic violence (188.7 ± 31.4). A significant negative relationship was observed between sexual satisfaction and marital satisfaction with the domestic violence was –0.42 and ‌–0.61, respectively. Conclusion  Considering the high prevalence of domestic violence and its significant relationship with marital satisfaction and sexual satisfaction in this study, interventions and counseling are recommended to increase marital satisfaction and sexual satisfaction and to reduce domestic violence during pregnancy.