Coercive First Intercourse and Unintended First Births

Since research has shown that victims of violence are more likely to be involved in subsequent risky sexual behaviors, we hypothesized that coercive first intercourse would be associated with unintended first births. Using nationally representative data from the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth, we analyzed female respondents aged 18-44 years who reported a live birth (n = 4,136). Coercion was classified as none/minimal, mild, or significant based on self-report. In 2002, 13.7% of U. S. women aged 18-44 who had at least one live birth experienced mild coercion and 9.8% experienced significant coercion at first intercourse. Compared with women who experienced no coercion, the odds of reporting an unintended first birth was greater for women who experienced mild (OR: 1.9, 95% CI: 1.4-2.6) or significant coercion (OR: 2.3, 95% CI: 1.6-3.4).