227 - Marital status, cohabitation, psychological aggression exposure, and extended infant hospital stay length

Publication Number: 227.6036

XIAOZHONG WEN, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, United States

Background: Previous research has shown infant health and development depend upon parental relationships. However, there is limited research on extended infant hospital stay length due to their parents' relationship dynamics, such as marriage, living together without marriage, pregnant women living alone without a husband/partner, as well as psychological aggression exposure to women during pregnancy.

Objective: We examined associations of marital status, partner cohabitation status, and maternal exposure to psychological aggression during pregnancy with extended infant hospital stay length.

Design/Methods: We analyzed data from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System. Marital status was obtained from birth certificates. Cohabiting with the partner was defined as a response of “my husband or partner” to the survey question, “When you got pregnant with your new baby, who lived in the same house with you?”. We obtained information on 3 psychological aggression exposures on the partner’s threatening, being angry, and controlling. The question on infant hospital stay was, “After your baby was delivered, how long did he or she stay in the hospital?”. An extended infant hospital stay length was defined as ≥6 days.

Results: Unmarried women had a higher risk of an extended infant hospital stay length compared to married women (9.2% vs 6.2%; confounder-adjusted odds ratio,1.39[1.34-1.45]). Women who felt threatened by their partner during pregnancy were at an increased risk of an extended infant hospital stay length than women who did not (10.9% vs 7.3%;1.30[1.07-1.59]). Women who felt afraid of their partner’s anger had a higher risk of an extended infant hospital stay than women who did not (11.0% vs 7.3%;1.28[1.02-1.60]). A similar association was observed for women who felt controlled by their partner compared to women who did not (12.0% vs 7.3%;1.44[1.20-1.72]).

Conclusion(s): In U.S. mothers, being unmarried and being exposed to psychological aggression during pregnancy were risk factors for extended infant hospital stay length.