Pregnant Women’s Experiences of Intimate Partner Violence and Seeking Help from Health Care Professionals: A Jordanian Qualitative Study

The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of pregnant women disclosing Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and seeking help from Health Care Professionals (HCPs) at public Hospitals in Jordan. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 pregnant women. The findings revealed that the women were not satisfied with the care providers’ procedures, responses, or follow-up. Women also preferred to discuss IPV issues with females, experts, and same age or older HCPs. Lack of privacy, continuity of care, time constraints, and barriers for disclosing were dominant themes that emerged from women’s contacts with HCPs. Women felt more able to disclose IPV if they were confident that circumstances would be safe enough to do so. HCPs require specialized and structured training programs in IPV screening and case management.