Association between adverse childhood experience and unintended pregnancy among Japanese women: a large-scale cross-sectional study

Abstract

Unintended pregnancy (UP) can negatively impact the health of mothers, children, and families. While Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are increasingly known to affect sexual health, the influence on pregnancy intention is not fully understood. This study examines the relationship between ACEs and UP and explores other related factors, using 5049 pregnant and postpartum women data from the Japan COVID-19 and Society Internet Survey (JACSIS). We measured participants’ pregnancy intentions, ACEs, family functioning, and social network size. Logistic regression analysis provided odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CI). The prevalence of UP was approximately 16.5% (n = 893). Cumulative ACEs were consistently associated with UP, even after adjusting for intermediate variables in adulthood. The odds ratio for UP with a single ACE was 1.00 (CI: 0.82–1.21) but rose significantly with multiple ACEs: 1.39 (CI: 1.10–1.76) with double, 1.38 (CI: 1.02–2.86) with triple, and 1.81 (CI: 1.37–2.39) with more. Additionally, bad family functioning and lack of social networks emerged as contributors to UP. In conclusion, this study showed that ACEs are potentially correlated with UP. A deeper understanding of the transition from childhood experiences to UP is important for health interventions, necessitating further investigation.

Keywords:

• Adverse childhood experiences
• unintended pregnancy
• unwanted/mistimed pregnancy
• reproductive health

Disclosure Statement

DN reports personal fees from Startia, Inc., en-power, Inc., MD.net and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd. outside the submitted work. The other authors declare no conflict of interest.

Data availability statement

Due to the presence of personally identifiable or potentially sensitive information, the data used in the present study are not deposited in a public repository. The Research Ethics Committee of the Osaka International Cancer Institute has restricted data sharing in compliance with Japanese ethical guidelines laws. Any questions on data use should be directed to Dr. Takahiro Tabuchi at [email protected]. More information about data availability can be obtained on the JACSIS website (https://jacsis-study.jp/howtouse/).

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science KAKENHI Grants [grant numbers JP 21H04856]; the Japan Science and Technology Agency [grant number JPMJSC21U6]; Intramural fund of the National Institute for Environmental Studies; Innovative Research Program on Suicide Countermeasures [grant number: R3-2-2]; The Ministry of Health Labor and Welfare of Health Labor Sciences Research Grant [grant number: 23GC1019]; and Ready for COVID-19 Relief Fund [grant number: 5th period 2nd term 001]. The findings and conclusions of this article are the unique responsibility of the authors and do not represent the views of the research funding.