Intimate Partner Violence Among Adolescent Latina Mothers and Their Reproductive Outcomes: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Objective: Approximately 1 in 3 women worldwide has experienced intimate partner violence (IPV), with the region of the North, Central, and South Americas reporting a prevalence of 29.8%. The health impact of IPV on women’s reproductive outcomes has been well-documented, but the intersection of IPV and reproductive outcomes in the adolescent population in Latin America has not been explored. The purpose of this systematic review is to synthesize the existing literature on reproductive outcomes associated with IPV in adolescent mothers in Latin America. Methods: A systematic review of the literature using the PubMed database was conducted using a search term including key phrases pertaining to our topics of interest: Latin America, adolescent mothers, IPV, and reproductive outcomes. Articles published between 2010-2020 exploring at least two of the four major topics were included in our review. Articles were divided according to relevance to four categories: (1) Pregnancy and motherhood in Latina teens, (2) IPV in Latin America, (3) Reproductive outcomes associated with IPV, and (4) IPV among teen Latina mothers and their reproductive outcomes. PRISMA reporting guidelines were utilized, and flowcharts were created to demonstrate the study findings. Results: Of 288 initial articles, 0 articles explored the intersection of IPV and reproductive outcomes, specifically in teenage Latinas. However, 9, 16, and 22 were found to match the first three categories listed in the methods section. IPV was associated with adverse reproductive outcomes, both directly and indirectly, such as unintended pregnancy and preterm birth. Our results also showed that adolescent Latina women were at a significantly higher risk of both pregnancy and IPV than most women in other age groups globally. Conclusion and Implications for Translation: IPV represents a significant threat to the health of Latina women as well as their reproductive functions. Although Latinas represent an important proportion of the global adolescent population, current literature is scarce, and more research on the impact of IPV on adolescent Latinas is warranted.