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Leigh E Tenkku, MPH, Community and Family Medicine, Saint Louis University, 1420 Grand Avenue, Donco Building, St. Louis, MO 63104, 314-977-8481, tenkku@slu.edu, Cynthia A. Loveland Cook, PhD, School of Social Service, Saint Louis University, 3550 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63103, Louise H. Flick, DrPH, Schools of Nursing and Public Health, St. Louis University, 3525 Caroline Mall, St. Louis, MO 63104, Sharon M. Homan, PhD, School of Public Health, St. Louis University, 3545 Lafayette, St. Louis, MO 63104, Claudia Campbell, PhD, Department of Health Systems Management, Tulane University, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, 1440 Canal Street, Suite 2430, New Orleans, LA 70112, and Maryellen McSweeney, PhD, School of Nursing, St. Louis University, 3525 Caroline Mall, St. Louis, MO 63104.
The prevalence of unintended pregnancy in the United States is currently 49% of all live births with the incidence highest among young, unmarried, low-income women. Women who do not intend to become pregnant are more likely to have insufficient prenatal care, are more likely to continue to use alcohol and tobacco during their pregnancy, have higher mortality rates, have lower educational attainment, and have offspring with more impaired development. Little research has focused on the role of psychiatric disorders in pregnancy intentions. This study examined the relationship between pregnancy intention and current psychiatric disorder among 744 low-income, pregnant African American and Caucasian women recruited through supplemental nutrition program (WIC) sites in St. Louis City and Missouri’s rural Bootheel. Seventeen psychiatric disorders were measured using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule, and pregnancy intention was measured using items from CDC’s Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System. Categorical contingency tables were constructed and analyzed using chi-square. More than two-thirds of the sample (67.3%) reported their pregnancy as unintended. Women with at least one psychiatric disorder were no more likely than women without disorder to have an unintended pregnancy. However, women with manic episodes, dysthymia, generalized anxiety disorder and nicotine dependence were significantly less likely than women without these disorders, by 4.3%, 0.6%, 2.8% and 7.5%, respectively, to have an unintended pregnancy. Thus, women with these disorders are more likely to have an intended pregnancy. Therefore, this research indicates the need for further work on the influence of psychiatric disorder on a woman’s pregnancy intention.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Family Planning, Psychiatric Epidemiology
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.