OBJECTIVE:

To determine the prevalence of physical abuse and to identify predictors of abuse in a sample of pregnant women in Alabama.

DESIGN:

A prospective, correlational design was used.

SETTING:

Participants were drawn from four unrelated public and private prenatal clinics in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

PARTICIPANTS:

The sample consisted of pregnant women between 20 and 34 years of age who had no high-risk health conditions and who initiated prenatal care during the 1st trimester. Four hundred thirty-nine ethnically diverse women completed interviews during the 1st and 3rd trimesters and had available birth outcomes.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE:

Physical abuse during pregnancy was measured by a modified version of the Abuse Assessment Screen. Bivariate and multiple logistic regressions yielded significant associations between individual predictors and physical abuse during pregnancy.

RESULTS:

The findings showed that 10.9% of the sample experienced physical abuse during the current pregnancy and 62% reported the intimate partner or former intimate partner to be the perpetrator. The best predictive model included stressful life events, depression, lack of faith in God or a higher power, and lack of contraceptive use.