Intimate Partner Violence and Women's Contraceptive Use

• NCJ Number: 225221
• Journal: Violence Against Women Volume: 14 Issue: 12 Dated: December 2008 Pages: 1382-1396
• Author(s): Corrine M. Williams; Ulla Larsen; Laura A. McCloskey
• Date Published: December 2008
• Length: 15 pages
• Grant Number(s): NIH R25 GM55353; R01 HS1 1088-01
• Sponsoring Agency: Harvard University; US Dept of Health and Human Services
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article explores differences in contraceptive use between abused and nonabused women.

Abstract

Women experiencing physical and emotional abuse were more likely to report not using their preferred method of contraception in the past 12 months compared with nonabused women. The evidence appears to suggest different contraceptive use patterns among abused and nonabused women that should be furthered explored in larger studies. Physicians need to consider how intimate partner violence may be influencing their patients’ use of contraceptives. Given the associations between violence, unwanted pregnancy, and abortion, the links between intimate partner violence and contraceptive behavior deserve further investigation. The aim of this study was to ascertain whether abused women relied on different types of contraception than nonabused women, whether abused women were more likely than nonabused women to not use any from of contraception, and whether abused women were more likely to not use their preferred method of contraception. The study consisted of 225 women. Tables and references