Physical and psychological consequences of obstetric violence in Latin American countries

Abstract

The The term obstetric violence has its origins in Latin America, it is considered an expression of gender violence and institutional violence against women. It can be exercised in two ways, physical and psychological, therefore, the aim is to define obstetric violence, its origin, divisions, and relation with women’s sexual and reproductive rights, as well as to identify its physical and psychological consequences. A bibliographic search was conducted in Medigraphic, SciELO, and Google Scholar, including only publications that were found in full text, in Spanish, English, and Portuguese during the years 2014 to 2022. Obstetric violence causes the violation of women’s sexual and reproductive rights, which makes it essential for all those involved in health care to be aware of the related physical and psychological repercussions that contribute to maternal and newborn morbidity and mortality, such as vaginal tears, breastfeeding problems, post-traumatic stress syndrome, and postpartum depression.