Social determinants of adolescent pregnancy and its relationship with domestic violence in Manabí

Abstract

Adolescent pregnancy represents a public health challenge in the province of Manabí, Ecuador, where factors such as poverty, low schooling and limited access to sexual and reproductive health services aggravate its incidence among vulnerable young people. Likewise, domestic violence is a factor that increases the vulnerability of pregnant adolescents in the region. The objective of the study was to analyze the relationship between sociodemographic characteristics and the presence of intrafamily violence in pregnant adolescents attended in the health centers of Calceta and Junín, Manabí, specifically during the period from January to December 2024. An observational, cross-sectional and analytical study was carried out with 49 participants aged 10 to 19 years, selected by census. Sociodemographic data and data on domestic violence (physical, psychological, sexual and economic) were collected by means of a validated questionnaire, applying descriptive and inferential analysis with chi-square test. The results revealed a high prevalence of psychological violence and a low frequency of physical and sexual violence, with no significant associations between domestic violence and sociodemographic variables (p > 0.01). . These findings suggested that psychological violence affected pregnant adolescents in a cross-sectional manner, regardless of their characteristics, which highlighted the need to explore psychosocial and cultural factors in future research and interventions. In conclusion, psychological violence predominated in pregnant adolescents in Manabí without a significant relationship with sociodemographic determinants, which required universal prevention and detection strategies in the prenatal setting.