Integrated domestic violence and reproductive health interventions in India: a systematic review

Domestic violence is a leading cause of poor health outcomes during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Therefore, there is a need for integrated domestic violence interventions in reproductive health care settings. India has one of the highest maternal and child mortality rates. This review aimed to identify characteristics of existing evidence-based integrated domestic violence and reproductive healthcare interventions in India to identify gaps and components of interventions that demonstrate effectiveness for addressing domestic violence.

A systematic review of intervention studies was conducted using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. Three research team members performed independent screening of title, abstracts and full-texts.

The search resulted in 633 articles, of which 13 articles met inclusion criteria for full text screening and analysis. Common components of integrated violence and reproductive health interventions that were effective in addressing domestic violence included: psychoeducation/education (n = 5), skill building (n = 5), counseling (n = 5), engaging stakeholders with use of trained lay peer facilitators (n = 3), and engaging male spouses (n = 3).

Interventions in India for domestic violence that are integrated with reproductive health care remain few, and there are fewer with effective outcomes for domestic violence. Of those with effective outcomes, all of the interventions utilized psychoeducation/education, skill building, and counseling as part of the intervention.