Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P].
Domestic violence. Babies born to women who experienced assault in their homes during pregnancy are more likely to be premature and have very low birth weights, which could lead to serious impacts on their health and economic well-being, according to health policy research from Stanford University.
Examining the effects of prenatal exposure to violent crime on infant health, health economist Maya Rossin-Slater and colleagues found that aggression in utero significantly increases the incidence of adverse birth outcomes.
During their study, the researchers found that aggression during pregnancy leads to increases in rates of very low birth weight - less than 1.5 kilograms - and low Apgar scores - a test to evaluate newborns shortly after birth that assesses the baby's heart rate, muscle tone and other signs to determine if he or she needs additional or emergency medical help.
"Our results imply that interventions that reduce violence against pregnant women can have significant consequences not only for them and their partners, but also for the next generation and society as a whole," Rossin-Slater said.
It should be noted that the research was conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic affected virtually every American household in many ways, including through an increase in domestic abuse.
Rossin-Slater noted that several studies have identified an association between stay-at-home orders and an increase in 911 calls for domestic violence, as well as incidents in which police have had to be called to the scene. "And there are likely many more cases that are not captured in the data."
"Low-income pregnant women are more likely to be victims of domestic violence than their more advantaged counterparts, and COVID-19 likely amplifies this disparity through shelter-in-place orders," Rossin-Slater noted.
She added that the children of women who suffer this violence are also at a disadvantage, as it can affect them throughout their lives and even in the lives of their own descendants.
The researchers estimated that the annual societal cost of violence during pregnancy in the U.S. ranges from $3.8 billion to $8.8 billion.
Such costs result from the higher rate of adverse birth outcomes, which in turn lead to higher infant mortality rates, high medical costs at birth and immediately thereafter, as well as large expenditures associated with childhood and adult disability, decreased adult incomes, and reductions in life expectancy.
"Measuring the social cost of crime, and especially violent crime, is crucial to policy debates about the justice system and programs that impact criminal behavior more broadly," the study's authors concluded.
