Intimate Partner Violence, Maternal Stress, and Fetal Outcomes: Exploring the Interplay

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) against women is widely recognized as a critical public health issue and as a significant violation of human rights, with profound effects on the physical and mental well-being of the victims. Beyond examining the direct impact of IPV on women, research is now directing the attention to the outcomes experienced by the children of pregnant women subjected to abuse, highlighting the potential for long-term consequences through the intergenerational transmission of trauma. The aim of this dissertation is to review the potential effects of prenatal IPV exposure on offsprings’ physical and mental health, with particular emphasis on the underlying mechanisms. Specifically, it investigates how prenatal stress induced by IPV may alter the proper development and regulation of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis. Further research is needed, but the growing focus on the effects of IPV on children of abuse victims represents a significant advancement in raising awareness and enhancing the prevention of violence against women.