Dr Diksha Sapkota1, Dr James Ogilvie, Dr Carleen Thompson, Dr Aydan Kuluk, Prof Susan Dennison
1Griffith Criminology Institute, Australia
Biography:
Dr Diksha Sapkota is an early career researcher passionate about improving health and social outcomes of women who have challenging life circumstances, in particular women who have experienced domestic violence, are pregnant or postpartum, and/or are in contact with the criminal justice system. Dr Sapkota enjoys interdisciplinary collaboration and is actively engaging with researchers, policy makers and health care practitioners in translating her research findings into action.
Abstract:
Mental illness and violence are known risk factors for preterm birth (PTB), yet evidence on their intersection and impact on PTB is limited. Prior research often dichotomises violence exposure and mental illness as ever/never and relies on self-report. This study examined the impact of mental illness and violence victimisation on PTB using linked administrative data of 22,039 females born in 1990 in Queensland. PTB and mental disorders were drawn from inpatient records and violence experiences were sourced from Child Protection Services and Domestic Violence Orders records. Among 4,150 (18.8%) mothers (18.8% of the cohort), 11.1% (n = 460) had at least one PTB. Approximately, 7% (n = 274) had a mental illness diagnosis before the index birth and 3.0% (n = 125) had substance use disorders (SUDs). About 4% experienced both violence victimisation and mental illness/SUDs. Mothers identifying as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander and teenage mothers had elevated PTB risk. Compared to mothers without violence or mental illness, those with both victimisation and mental illness/SUDs had 1.7 times higher odds of PTB, while those with only mental illness/SUDs had 1.9 times higher odds. First-time violence within one-year before childbirth, persistent victimisation, childhood neglect, and multiple episodes of victimisation were significantly associated with PTB risk. This study highlights the compound impact of mental illness and violence victimisation on PTB risk and underscores the need for early interventions to address childhood maltreatment, reduce SUDs, and prevent prenatal violence to lower PTB rates.