Table 2. Outcomes of Children Born From a Denied Abortion Compared With Those of Children Born to Women Subsequent to Receiving an Abortion.
| Characteristic | Index Childrena,b | Subsequent Childrena,b | Effect Estimate, aOR (95% CI) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Children, No. | 146 | 182 | NA |
| Observations, No. | 1037 | 852 | NA |
| Years of observation per child, mean (SD) | 3.4 (1.7) | 2.2 (1.3) | NA |
| Perinatal outcomes, 1 observation per child | |||
| Low birth weight | 5 | 9 | 0.50 (0.20-1.27) |
| Premature | 6 | 12 | 0.45 (0.19-1.07) |
| Healthy at birth | 94 | 93 | 1.08 (0.33-3.56) |
| Short birth interval | 17 | 3 | 5.87 (2.33-14.80) |
| Spent any time in NICU | 12 | 13 | 0.96 (0.45-2.01) |
| Child health outcomes | |||
| Physical disability in past 6 mo | 3 | 1 | 2.64 (0.48-14.61) |
| Injury in past 6 mo | 6 | 3 | 1.91 (1.02-3.59) |
| Asthma | 9 | 9 | 1.23 (0.15-10.08) |
| Breastfeeding (<6 mo) | |||
| Any breastfeeding | 31 | 41 | 0.64 (0.37-1.09) |
| Exclusive breastfeeding | 16 | 13 | 1.23 (0.61-2.49) |
| Child development, based on PEDS:DM | |||
| Fine motor | 88 | 91 | 0.72 (0.48-1.07) |
| Self-help | 85 | 82 | 1.31 (0.97-1.75) |
| Receptive language | 86 | 82 | 1.35 (0.99-1.82) |
| Gross motor | 77 | 82 | 0.66 (0.49-0.88) |
| Social emotional | 89 | 90 | 0.88 (0.61-1.28) |
| Expressive language | 88 | 90 | 0.81 (0.51-1.27) |
| Overall percentage, mean (SE) | 85 (0.7) | 86 (0.7) | −0.01 (−0.03 to 0.01)c |
| Maternal bonding (<18 mo) | |||
| Postpartum bonding questionnaire score, mean (SE) | 4.4 (0.3) | 3.1 (0.3) | 1.34 (0.48-2.19)c |
| Poor maternal bondingd | 9 | 3 | 5.14 (1.48-17.85) |
| Socioeconomics and household structure | |||
| Lives with a male partner | 35 | 49 | 0.22 (0.09-0.52) |
| Lives with adult family members | 33 | 21 | 5.35 (2.16-13.28) |
| Lives without family or male partner | 33 | 30 | 1.32 (0.60-2.88) |
| Receives public assistance | |||
| WIC | 32 | 30 | 1.12 (0.75-1.67) |
| TANF | 11 | 9 | 1.57 (0.68-3.61) |
| SNAP | 47 | 48 | 0.93 (0.53-1.61) |
| Household income below FPL | 63 | 55 | 1.82 (0.94-3.55) |
| Not enough money to meet basic living needs | 72 | 55 | 5.16 (2.34-11.40) |
| Percentage of FPL, mean (SE) | 101 (0.8) | 132 (0.7) | −0.31 (−0.52 to −0.10)c |
Abbreviations: aOR, adjusted odds ratio; FPL, federal poverty level; NA, not applicable; NICU, neonatal intensive care unit; PEDS:DM: Parents’ Evaluation of Developmental Status:Developmental Milestones; SNAP; Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program; TANF, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families; WIC, Women, Infants, and Children program.
Data are presented as the percentage of mothers or children unless otherwise indicated. Models compare index children with children born subsequent to abortion (reference), using mixed-effects regression adjusting for covariates (maternal race/ethnicity, maternal age at time of recruitment, birth order [first vs second or greater], sex of child, and except for perinatal outcomes, child’s age at interview) and for clustering by child and site. Perinatal birth outcomes are based on 1 observation per child and include children placed for adoption. All other analyses, with the exception of child lives with mother, are based on multiple observations per child but exclude 15 index children placed for adoption. Breastfeeding outcomes were limited to infants <6 months (317 observations) and maternal bonding to children <1.5 years (836 observations).
Estimated values from mixed-effects model. Index children were defined as children born after denial of abortion, and subsequent children were defined as children born from the next birth after an abortion.
Effect estimate given is the adjusted regression coefficient.
Poor maternal bonding indicated by Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire score of 12 or above.