ArticlePerspectives on sexual and reproductive health2016
Social Norms and Stigma Regarding Unintended Pregnancy and Pregnancy Decisions: A Qualitative Study of Young Women in Alabama.
Article in Perspectives on sexual and reproductive health, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 40 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
40 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Abortion stigma amongst the public in high-income countries: a mixed-method systematic review.Sexual and reproductive health matters · 2025Pooled it
- Proactive approaches to preventing postpartum depression in non-depressive pregnant women: a comprehensive scoping review.Frontiers in global women's health · 2025Pooled it
- Association between pregnancy intention and completion of newborn and infant continuum of care in Sub-Saharan Africa: systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC pediatrics · 2024Pooled it
- Observational
- Effects of pregnancy intention at conception on the continuity of care in maternal healthcare services use in Somalia.Public health in practice (Oxford, England) · 2026Article
- Azari women's experiences and perceptions of encountering unplanned pregnancy: a qualitative study.Reproductive health · 2026Article
- Moving Beyond Unintended Pregnancy: Development of a Person-Centered Conceptual Framework and Measure of Self-Assessed Pregnancy Acceptability.Studies in family planning · 2026Article
- Navigating an ambiguous abortion terrain in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: autonomy and relational dynamics in pregnancy termination.International journal for equity in health · 2026Article
- Exploring the lived socioeconomic experiences of teen mothers in Rwanda.Reproductive health · 2026Article
- 'You may be a mother, but you're also a child.'- the importance of unintended pregnancy of underaged women in Germany for sexual and reproductive health: a biographical narrative analysis.Reproductive health · 2026Article
- My body, but not my decision: reproductive burdens among college women of color experiencing unplanned pregnancy in the U.S. South.Reproductive health · 2026Article
- Barriers to abortion access for young southerners: a qualitative analysis of case notes from ARC-Southeast.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Investigating White Americans' Mental Images of Who Has Abortions and Its Impact on Attitudes Toward Abortion Policies.Communications psychology · 2025Article
- Iranian Women's Experiences of Unintended Pregnancy and Induced Abortion: A Meta-Synthesis Study.Iranian journal of medical sciences · 2025Review
- Invisible Links: Associations Between Micronutrient Deficiencies and Postpartum Depression-A Systematic Review.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- [Prevalence of Unwanted Pregnancies and Pregnancy Outcomes Among Women With Mental Illness. Findings from the ELSA Study].Psychiatrische Praxis · 2025Article
- The effects of unintended pregnancy on maternal bonding impairment among Japanese mothers: a longitudinal study from pregnancy to one month postpartum.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Article
- 'It's a secret in my life': frontstage and backstage experiences of women undergoing induced abortions in a rural community of Pakistan.BMC women's health · 2024Article
- The prevalence of unintended pregnancy and its influence on pregnancy experience in Tabriz, Iran, 2023: a cross-sectional study.Reproductive health · 2024Article
- Perception, practices and understanding of teenage pregnancy among the adolescent girls in India: A scoping review protocol.Journal of family medicine and primary care · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
contextSocial norms and stigma may play important roles in reproductive health behavior and decision making among young women in the U.S. South, who disproportionately experience unintended pregnancies. No research has described the presence and manifestations of social norms and stigmas associated with unintended pregnancy and related decision making from the perspective of this population.
methodsSix focus groups and 12 cognitive interviews were conducted between December 2013 and July 2014 with 46 low-income women aged 19-24 living in Birmingham, Alabama; respondents were recruited from two public health department centers and a community college. Semistructured interview guides were used to facilitate discussion about social perceptions of unintended pregnancy and related pregnancy decisions. Sessions were audio-recorded, and transcripts were analyzed using a theme-based approach.
resultsParticipants described community expectations that pregnancy occur in the context of monogamous relationships, in which both partners are mature, educated and financially stable. However, respondents reported that unintended pregnancy outside of these circumstances was common, and that the community expected young women faced with unintended pregnancies to bear and raise their children. Women who chose to do so were viewed more positively than were women who chose abortion or adoption. The community generally considered these alternatives to parenting unacceptable, and participants discussed them in terms of negative labels, social judgment and nondisclosure.
conclusionsFindings suggest a need to reduce stigma and create a social environment in which young women are empowered to make the best reproductive decisions for themselves.
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