City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR.
Lingnan University, Tuen Mun, Hong Kong SAR.
J Interpers Violence. 2021 Nov;36(21-22):NP12299-NP12323. doi: 10.1177/0886260519888532. Epub 2019 Dec 2.
Young mothers face considerable challenges that can affect their mental health, with anxiety being one of the most common mental health problems observed in this population. Furthermore, pregnancy is one of the risk factors for intimate partner violence (IPV). There is thus an urgent need to explore the IPV risk faced by young mothers and its association with their mental health, anxiety in particular. The study aimed to investigate the correlation between IPV victimization and anxiety in young mothers, as well as the protective effects of social support and resilience. A total of 79 young Chinese mothers aged 16 to 25 were recruited from a special service project for young parents in Hong Kong. Just more than half (50.6%) were found to have experienced psychological aggression by their current partner, with 26.6% and 13.9%, respectively, having experienced physical assault and sexual abuse. Roughly a quarter (25.3%) perceived themselves to suffer from moderate or severe generalized anxiety disorder. Logistic regression further showed the young mothers who had experienced physical assault and/or sexual abuse by their current partners to be at least six times likelier to have moderate or severe anxiety disorder (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 4.51, < .05) than those who had experienced no such violence. Young mothers with less perceived social support (aOR = 0.77, < .01), a lower secondary level of education or below (aOR = 12.99, < .05), and in receipt of social security assistance (aOR = 5.69, < .05) were also likelier to have moderate or severe anxiety disorder. The results indicate the importance of social support during the critical period of young motherhood. Health care professionals need to remain alert to the impacts of IPV victimization and the risk of anxiety in young mothers with a low level of education and/or receiving financial support.
年轻母亲面临着相当大的挑战，这些挑战可能会影响她们的心理健康，焦虑是这一人群中最常见的心理健康问题之一。此外，怀孕是亲密伴侣暴力（IPV）的一个风险因素。因此，迫切需要探讨年轻母亲面临的 IPV 风险及其与心理健康、特别是焦虑的关系。本研究旨在调查 IPV 受害与年轻母亲焦虑之间的相关性，以及社会支持和韧性的保护作用。共招募了 79 名年龄在 16 岁至 25 岁之间的香港年轻母亲参与这项特殊的年轻父母服务项目。结果发现，超过一半（50.6%）的年轻母亲曾遭受现任伴侣的心理攻击，分别有 26.6%和 13.9%遭受过身体攻击和性虐待。大约四分之一（25.3%）的年轻母亲认为自己患有中度或重度广泛性焦虑症。逻辑回归进一步表明，曾遭受现任伴侣身体攻击和/或性虐待的年轻母亲患中度或重度焦虑症的可能性至少是未遭受此类暴力的年轻母亲的六倍（调整优势比[aOR] = 4.51， <.05）。感知到较少社会支持（aOR = 0.77， <.01）、中学或以下教育程度（aOR = 12.99， <.05）和接受社会保障援助（aOR = 5.69， <.05）的年轻母亲也更有可能患有中度或重度焦虑症。结果表明，在年轻母亲的关键时期，社会支持非常重要。医疗保健专业人员需要警惕 IPV 受害对教育程度较低和/或接受经济支持的年轻母亲的影响，以及她们焦虑的风险。
