The Association between Unintended Pregnancy and Violence among Incarcerated Men and Women

Abstract

Background: In this article, we examine the association between unintended pregnancy and individual and community level indicators of violence in a population of both women and men in the criminal justice system.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey with 290 women and 306 men in 3 correctional facilities in Kansas City and used logistic regression models to assess relationships between key independent variables and unintended pregnancy.

Findings: In gender-specific logistic regression models, women with a history of intimate partner violence were 2.02 times more likely (CI 1.15, 3.56), and those with a history of sexual abuse before age 16 were 1.23 times more likely (CI 1.02–1.49) to have experienced unintended pregnancy. Men or their family members who were victimized by neighborhood violence were 1.82 times more likely to have experienced unintended pregnancy (CI 1.01, 3.28).

Discussion: These findings suggest the need for gender and community-specific interventions that address the relationship between violence and unintended pregnancy.

Acknowledgments

We thank the administration of the Jackson County Detention Center/Regional Correctional Center, Wyandotte County Detention Center and the Johnson County Adult Detention Center for their hospitality and support. We also thank the nursing and public health graduate students that worked with us for their assistance with data collection. Finally, we would like to thank the study participants for their time and contribution to this project.