Intimate partner violence and unplanned pregnancy in the Pacific Islands Families Study

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between maternal intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization and unplanned pregnancy. METHOD: Mothers of the Pacific Islands Families (PIF) Study cohort of Pacific infants born in Auckland, New Zealand during 2000 were interviewed when the children were 6 weeks old. A total of 1088 mothers cohabiting in married or de-facto partnerships were questioned about IPV and whether their pregnancy had been planned. RESULTS: Women identified as victims of physical violence were more likely to report an unplanned pregnancy than those who were not victims (68.7% vs 55.1%, odds ratio [OR] 1.78; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.32-2.40). The adjusted odds remained statistically significant (OR 1.52; 95% CI, 1.01-2.26). CONCLUSION: The findings of this study suggest an association between IPV and unplanned pregnancy in the Pacific birth cohort.