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Exposure to Partner, Family, and Community Violence: Gang-Affiliated Latina Women and Risk of Unintended Pregnancy

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Abstract

While teen pregnancy rates appear to be declining in the USA overall, the rate of decline among young Latinas has been less than other ethnic groups. Among the myriad factors associated with elevated pregnancy rates, for Latina girls living in the inner city, exposure to gang and community violence may be a critical context for increased pregnancy risk. This study explores the relationship between gang involvement and reproductive health, and the pathways through which childhood, family, and relationship violence exposure may lead to unintended pregnancy. Interviews of 20 young adult Latinas with known gang involvement in Los Angeles County were audiotaped, transcribed, and coded for key themes related to violence exposure and reproductive health. Limited access to reproductive health care compounded by male partner sexual and pregnancy coercion, as well as physical and sexual violence, emerged in the interviews. Exposures to interparental domestic violence, childhood physical and sexual abuse, and gang violence were prominent and closely associated with unhealthy and abusive intimate relationships. Adverse childhood experiences and exposure to partner, family, and community violence impact the reproductive lives and choices of young Latina women in gangs. These findings may guide targeted pregnancy prevention efforts among urban gang-affiliated Latinas as well as encourage the integration of sexual violence prevention and reproductive health promotion within gang violence intervention programs.

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Acknowledgments

We wish to express our most humble appreciation to the young women who shared their stories with us. In addition, we are deeply indebted to the staff of Homeboy Industries and Peace Over Violence for their support of this project. Heather Anderson, Kiera Coulter, and Rebekah Lucien provided invaluable research assistance. This study was funded with support from The California Endowment via a grant to Futures Without Violence (formerly the Family Violence Prevention Fund).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Adolescent Medicine, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Elizabeth Miller

  2. Futures Without Violence (formerly Family Violence Prevention Fund), San Francisco, CA, USA

    Rebecca Levenson & Leni Marin

  3. Peace Over Violence, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Lili Herrera

  4. Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University, New York City, NY, USA

    Laura Kurek

  5. Homeboy Industries, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Marney Stofflet

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  1. Elizabeth Miller
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  6. Leni Marin
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Correspondence to Elizabeth Miller.

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Miller, E., Levenson, R., Herrera, L. et al. Exposure to Partner, Family, and Community Violence: Gang-Affiliated Latina Women and Risk of Unintended Pregnancy. J Urban Health 89, 74–86 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-011-9631-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-011-9631-0

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