Association between Sexual Violence and Unintended Pregnancy among Married Women in Zambia

Background: Intimate partner violence against women is acknowledged as a worldwide public health issue. One of the outcomes of sexual violence is unintended pregnancy. In Zambia, 15% of married women age 15 to 49 had experienced sexual violence from their husband or partner. Since 1992, the prevalence of unintended pregnancies among women age 15 to 49 has risen to 38%. The link between sexual violence and unintended pregnancy in Zambia was investigated in this study. Methods The women's dataset from the 2018 Zambia Demographic and Health Survey was used in this study. The study looked at a weighted sample size of 5,132 women age 15 to 49. Descriptive, chi-square, bivariate, and multivariate binary logistic regressions were used in the data analysis. Multivariate binary logistic regression was performed to establish the net effects of sexual violence and each explanatory variable on unintended pregnancy. Results The findings suggest that sexual violence does have a role in unintended pregnancies (AOR 1.74; 1.38–2.19). Contraception use is also a significant predictor of unintended pregnancy (AOR 1.48; 1.16–1.88), even when other characteristics are taken into account. Results have shown that if a woman had ever used contraception and had experienced sexual violence, she was more likely to have an unintended pregnancy. Conclusion Spousal sexual violence is highly associated with unintended pregnancies in Zambia. Addressing intimate partner sexual violence is among the ways to prevent unintended pregnancies. It is also important to sensitize on women reporting acts of sexual violence to relevant authorities as this will not only prevent reoccurrence of sexual violence but also reduce unintended pregnancies and associated long-term effects.