Is domestic violence during COVID-19 in lactating women related to infantile colic? An important question

• Published in: BMC public health 2024-10, Vol.24 (1), p.2902-10, Article 2902
• Main Authors: Simbar, Masoumeh, Kiani, Zahra, Shaterian, Negin, Bidgoli, Mohammadamin Jandaghian, Shaterian, Negar, Bayani, Ghasem, Rashidi, Farzaneh, Nasiri, Maliheh
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abused women; Adult; Aggression; Babies; Breast feeding; Breast Feeding - psychology; Breast Feeding - statistics & numerical data; Breast milk; Breastfeeding; Breastfeeding & lactation; Care and treatment; Case-Control Studies; Cesarean section; Children & youth; Colic; Colic - epidemiology; COVID-19; COVID-19 - epidemiology; COVID-19 - psychology; Cross-sectional studies; Data collection; Diagnosis; Disease transmission; Domestic violence; Domestic Violence - psychology; Domestic Violence - statistics & numerical data; Family violence; Female; Gender-based violence; Health aspects; Health services; Humans; Incidence; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Infantile colic; Infants; Iran - epidemiology; Lactation; Marriage; Maternal and infant welfare; Maternal health services; Mental depression; Milk; Mothers; Mothers - psychology; Mothers - statistics & numerical data; Obstetrics; Pandemics; Perinatal care; Personal relationships; Pregnancy; Prevention; Psychological aspects; Psychosocial factors; Public health; Quarantine; Questionnaires; Risk factors; Sample size; Sex crimes; Sexual assault; Social aspects; Social interactions; Statistical analysis; Statistics; Surveys and Questionnaires; Systematic review; Validity; Violence; Violence against women; Womens health; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1471-2458; 1471-2458
• DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-20377-0

Psychosocial factors such as maternal stress in lactating women were shown to be related to an increased risk of infantile colic because the infants can be affected through breast milk. Therefore, domestic violence against lactating mothers can be effective on the infants' health. It is also demonstrated that domestic violence against women has increased following the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine. Therefore, this study aims to assess the relationship between domestic violence against breastfeeding women during COVID-19 and the incidence of infantile colic. This was a case-control study that was conducted on 356 lactating mothers who attended Bentolhoda Hospital in Bojnoord-Iran from November 2021 to August 2022. The participants were exclusively breastfeeding mothers who were under 6 months infants. Mothers with and without infantile colic infants were considered the case and control groups, respectively. Two questionnaires were used for data collection including a demographic questionnaire, and a questionnaire to assess domestic violence against women during the quarantine period of Corona pandemic. The data was analyzed using SPSS-V22 and Pearson Spearman correlation and linear regression tests. The results showed that women in the case group had a significantly higher score for "sexual violence and restraint" than women in the control group [0.59 ± 0.34 versus 0.62 ± 0.25 (Mean ± SD), respectively] (P