Effect of Pregnancy Intention on Child Well-Being and Development: Combining Retrospective Reports of Attitude and Contraceptive use

Abstract

Prior research has documented a relationship between unintended pregnancy and negative consequences for infants and children. Much of this research is based on retrospective reports of intention, but this method has been critiqued as subject to biases in recall and reporting. Non-retrospective measures have also been employed, but these are less widely available and tend to be hindered by limited samples. Using the 1988 National Maternal and Infant Health Survey and its 1991 Longitudinal Follow-Up, a composite measure of reported pregnancy intention and birth control use is constructed to attempt to overcome some limitations of the use of retrospective reports of intention. This composite measure is compared to more conventional measures through analyses predicting the effects of pregnancy intention on child health, activity, and development. Across the different constructions of the pregnancy intention measure, children from unintended pregnancies have poorer outcomes. They are more likely to have less than excellent health, undesirable activity levels, and below median scores on a development assessment. The composite measure predicts similarly to the more conventional measures of intention, but provides an additional dimension that helps address some of the concerns about bias in retrospective reporting, while maintaining the benefit of application in existing large and representative samples. Researchers and policy makers need to continue their concern about the effects of unintended pregnancies, and need widely available measures to understand determinants, consequences, and prevention strategies.

Age, relationship status, and the planning status of births

“…Crissey 2005;Guzman, Manlove, and Moore 2006). In this analysis, we combine women's reports on contraceptive use and their reasons for discontinuation or non-use.…”

“…Births that are not actively planned represent a woman's lack of control over her reproductive life and can affect other aspects of women's lives as well, such as employment and educational attainment. In addition, such births are associated with negative health consequences for both mothers and children (e.g., Crissey 2005;Hummer, Hack, and Raley 2004;Korenman, Kaestner, and Joyce 2001;Weller, Eberstein, and Bailey 1987). With such negative potential outcomes associated with unplanned fertility, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services set the goal of reducing unplanned pregnancies from 50% to 30% of all U.S. pregnancies (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 2000).…”

Fertility Following an Unintended First Birth

“…The first type of research describes aggregate-level trends in unintended fertility rates or group-level correlates of unintended fertility (e.g., Finer and Henshaw 2006;Kissin et al 2008). The second type of research is micro-level research, either focusing on the individual-level predictors of unintended fertility and studying births as independent events (e.g., Hayford and Guzzo 2006;Musick 2002;Speizer et al 2004) or on the link between an unintended birth and subsequent wellbeing (e.g., Barber et al 1999;Crissey 2005). However, recent evidence suggests a growing concentration of unintended fertility in the United States (Wildsmith et al 2010).…”

Effect of counseling on secure bonding among domestically abused women with unintended pregnancy

“…Previous studies have established that without doubt unintended pregnancy impacts physical and mental health, as well as cognitive outcomes and a less close mother-child relationship (Crissey, 2006;David, 2006;Ispa et al, 2007).…”