Intimate partner violence and unwanted pregnancy among Latina and Asian American women

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a pervasive public health problem in the U.S. affecting nearly one in every four women in their lifetime. Minority groups are at increased risk for IPV. Existing literature suggests a link between IPV and unintended pregnancy due to lack of reproductive control and autonomy over pregnancy decision-making.

Objective: Using structural equation modeling, we evaluated the association between IPV and unwanted pregnancy, mediated by condom use and perceived spousal/partner support among Latina and Asian women.     

Methods: Data came from the 2002/3 National Latino and Asian American Study (NLAAS). The analysis was restricted to female respondents who were married or cohabiting (n=1,595). Endogenous variables included: unwanted pregnancy, condom use in past 12 months , and perceived spousal/partner support. Exogenous variables included: ever experiencing physical abuse or threats by current partner (yes; no), and primary decision-making (partners; respondents/both). Weighted Least Squares method of MPLUS was used to fit path models to data comprising dichotomous and ordinal variables. Various goodness-of-fit indices were used to determine correspondence between data and models.

Results: More than 13% of women reported IPV. Abused women had a two-fold increase in unwanted pregnancy compared to non-abused women (OR=2.8, 95%CI=1.9-4.0). IPV was negatively associated with perceived partner support (OR=0.4, 95%CI=0.3-0.5). There were moderate but non-significant associations between partner support and unwanted pregnancy and between IPV and condom use.

Discussion: Results highlight the importance of IPV screening during preconception care for minorities. Efforts to combine family planning and violence prevention services may help reduce unintended pregnancy.