Child Sexual Abuse and Pregnancy: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Abstract

Background: Child sexual abuse is related to many negative outcomes but less known is the effect on pregnancy and childbirth.

Objective: This review critically examined the literature on the occurrence of child sexual abuse and outcomes associated with this abuse during pregnancy and childbirth.

Methods: Five databases were searched over 50 years using an iterative approach and the terms pregnancy, sexual abuse/assault, childbirth/labour, identifying 49 studies.

Results: The prevalence of child sexual abuse in pregnant women ranged from 2.63% to 37.25 with certain characteristics more common with a higher (e.g., specific questions, low income) or lower (broad questions, higher education) prevalence. Compared to women with no history of abuse, child sexual abuse survivors may have more concerns with their care, greater health complaints, fear childbirth and have difficulties with delivery. They also had a higher likelihood of PTSD symptomology and anxiety, consumed more harmful substances (e.g., alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs) and had greater concerns with their appearance, poorer health, sleep and may also have a higher risk of re-victimisation.

Conclusions: The balance of evidence suggests that compared to non-abused women, women with a child abuse history have more adverse experiences with pregnancy, childbirth, and care, with their abuse history, likely contributes to harmful behaviours and psychopathology. However, variability in operationalisation and measurement of abuse may contribute to these findings so tentative conclusions are drawn. Future research should examine the generalisability of the findings (relating to scale limitations) and recommendations for screening (e.g., sensitive items, scoring). Clinical implications of the findings point to the need for early identification of women with a child abuse history as such women require trauma-sensitive care and consideration. A useful tool is the Pregnancy-related Anxiety Scale which provides insights into specific areas of concern.

Keywords: Abuse; Anxiety; Assessment; Childbirth; Pregnancy; Sexual.