Previous research has established the many deleterious effects of domestic violence on the physical and mental health of abused women. These deleterious effects are so well documented that most Royal Colleges and health professional bodies in the United Kingdom have developed protocols and best practices for identifying and responding to victims of domestic violence. However, in practice there is little evidence of a consistent approach and battered women have reported problems accessing health care. Responses of health care practitioners to battered women have been described as unhelpful and inadequate. The current study drew upon research conducted as part of the Economic and Social Research Council study on the prevalence and effects of domestic violence during pregnancy. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 women who had experienced domestic violence during the past 12 months (including during their current pregnancy) and 6 women who had experienced domestic violence during the past 12 months, but not during their current pregnancy. Interviews asked questions regarding demographic information, smoking, alcohol and drug use, psychiatric history, childhood experiences of violence, stressful life events, and perceived acceptability and relevance of seeking help from health care professionals. Participants answered the 10-item Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, the 12-item General Health Questionnaire, and the 15-item revised Impact of Events Scale. The qualitative data were coded until data had been saturated. The analysis revealed that all the women scored highly on levels of postnatal depression and exhibited moderate to high levels of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Findings also indicated that, consistent with previous research findings, the women reported feeling unable to report domestic violence to health care professionals in the absence of a specific inquiry about it. Findings also suggested that few women were ever asked specifically about domestic violence and even fewer were provided with helpful resources. Dominant themes that emerged about contacts with health care professionals were lack of privacy, continuity of care, and time constraints. The findings indicate that health care professionals must initiate discussions regarding domestic violence and must be prepared for reluctance on the part of women to openly discuss abusive relationships. References