OBSTETRIC VIOLENCE: PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL, AND CARE-RELATED IMPACTS ON WOMEN’S HEALTH

Abstract

Obstetric violence is recognized as a specific form of gender-based violence, manifested through healthcare practices that violate women’s autonomy, bodily integrity, and rights during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. This study aimed to analyze, through an integrative literature review, the physical, emotional, and care-related impacts of obstetric violence on women’s health. Searches were conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE, LILACS, SciELO, Web of Science, and the Virtual Health Library, including studies published in Portuguese, English, and Spanish. The findings revealed a high prevalence of obstetric violence across diverse sociocultural contexts, associated with physical harm, emotional suffering, psychological trauma, and compromised quality of care. It is concluded that obstetric violence remains normalized within healthcare services, highlighting the urgent need for structural, political, and educational changes to promote ethical, respectful, and woman-centered obstetric care.