Abused boys, battered mothers, and male involvement in teen pregnancy

Background. The relationship between boyhood exposure to physical abuse, se xual abuse, or to a battered mother and subsequent risk of impregnating a t eenage girl has not previously been examined. Methods. In a retrospective cohort study set in a primary care clinic for a dult members of a large health maintenance organization, questionnaire resp onses from 4127 men were analyzed. Respondents provided the age of the youn gest female whom they had impregnated, their own ages at the time, and info rmation regarding childhood exposure to physical or sexual abuse and batter ed mothers. We calculated the prevalence and adjusted odds ratio (OR) for h aving impregnated a teenage girl according to these 3 adverse childhood exp eriences, regardless of the male's age at the time of impregnation. Using l ogistic regression, ORs were adjusted for the male's age at time of survey, race, and education. Results. Nineteen percent of the men reported that they had ever impregnate d a teenage girl. During childhood, 32% of respondents had been physically abused, 15% sexually abused, and 11% had battered mothers. Compared with re spondents reporting no abuse, frequent physical abuse or battering of mothe rs increased the risk of involvement in teen pregnancy by 70% (OR: 1.7; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.2-2.5) and 140% (OR: 2.4; 95% CI: 1.1-5.0), re spectively. Sexual abuse as a boy at age 10 years or younger increased the risk of impregnating a teenage girl by 80% (OR: 1.8; 95% CI: 1.3-2.4); sexu al abuse with violence increased the risk by 110% (OR: 2.1; 95% CI: 1.2-3.4 ). We found a dose-response relationship between the number of types of exp osures and the risk of impregnating a teenage girl; men who reported all 3 types of exposures were more than twice as likely to have been involved tha n those with no exposures (OR: 2.2; 95% CI: 1.4-3.5). Conclusions. Boyhood exposure to physical or sexual abuse or to a battered mother is associated with an increased risk of involvement in a teen pregna ncy-during both adolescence and adulthood. Because these exposures are comm on and interrelated, boys and adult men who have had these experiences shou ld be identified via routine screening by pediatricians and other health ca re providers and counseled about sexual practices and contraception. Such e fforts may prevent teen pregnancy and the intergenerational transmission of child abuse and domestic violence.