Mental health of women who suffer intimate partner violence during pregnancy.

Objective: To identify the relationship between intimate partner violence (IPV) during pregnancy and mental disorders in women in the pregnancy-puerperal cycle.

Methodology: A review was conducted of papers published in Portuguese, English and Spanish regarding the study theme. The databases explored were PubMed, CINAHL, LILACS and PsycINFO.

Results: The 17 included papers studied the relationship between IPV and: pre- and postpartum depression (41%); pregnancy anxiety (23%) and pregnancy posttraumatic stress disorder (12%). None of the studies investigated the association between IPV and suicidal ideation.

Conclusion: IPV against women during the pregnancy-puerperal cycle causes negative impacts on mental health. Concrete actions shall be proposed regarding the prevention, identification and treatment of women exposed to IPV during their pregnancy period.