Young adult US-born Latina women's thoughts, feelings and beliefs about unintended pregnancy

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Natalie D Hernandez, University of South Florida; Rasheeta Chandler-Coley, Emory University; Rasheeta Chandler, Emory University; Nancy Nava, Georgia State University; Ilyssa Tamler, Emory University; Ellen M Daley, University of South Florida; Julie A Baldwin, Northern Arizona University; Eric R Buhi, San Diego State University; Kathleen O'Rourke, University of South Florida; Nancy Romero-Daza, University of South Florida; Stephanie Grilo, Yale School of Public Heath
• Language: English
• Date: 2019-07-31
• Publisher: ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: Rights managed by Taylor & Francis
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13691058.2019.1642517
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: CULTURE HEALTH & SEXUALITY
• Volume: 22
• Issue: 8
• Start Page: 920
• End Page: 936
• Grant/Funding Information: This study was funded by an internal research award from the Department of Community & Family Health, University of South Florida College of Public Health.
• Keywords: KNOWLEDGE; beliefs; Latinas; HISPANIC WOMEN; UNITED-STATES; TEENAGE CHILDBEARING; Social Sciences; Social Sciences, Biomedical; BIRTH; Biomedical Social Sciences; INTENTIONS; USA; Unintended pregnancy; CONTRACEPTION; HEALTH; sociocultural factors; Family Studies; BEHAVIOR; feelings; FAMILY

Abstract

Current measures of unintended pregnancy underestimate the co-occurring, complex set of social, cultural, economic and structural factors that influence how women interpret unintended pregnancy. The purpose of this study was to prospectively explore young adult US-born Latinas’ thoughts, feelings and beliefs about pregnancy, specifically unintended pregnancies and the sociocultural factors identified as contributors to those beliefs. In-depth interviews (n = 20) were conducted with US-born, English-speaking Latinas aged 18–25 years in south Florida. Seventeen participants did not intend to get pregnant, while the remaining participants (n = 3) reported that their intentions kept changing. Participants’ beliefs regarding their unintended pregnancy were influenced by social and economic hardship and cultural factors such as fatalism and familismo. Ideas and the meaning of pregnancy differed based on the woman’s pregnancy resolution decision. Many women felt the term ‘unintended pregnancy’ placed blame on women and was stigmatising. When discussing pregnancy planning, most participants felt that women should not plan their pregnancies and doing so was going against fate. Findings suggest that salient influences such as culture and the social determinants related to unintended pregnancy should be incorporated into measurements examining unintended pregnancy.