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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Corrine M. Williams, Society, Human Development and Health, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, 7th Floor, Boston, MA 02115, 617-432-3690, williams@hsph.harvard.edu and Laura A. McCloskey, PhD, School of Social Policy and Practice, University of Pennsylvania, 3701 Locust Walk, Caster Building, Room C15, Philadelphia, PA 19104.

In 1994, 49% of pregnancies in the United States were unintended. In 2002, 7.4% of women were sexually active and were not trying to get pregnant but were not currently using any form of contraception. Intimate partner violence (IPV) is associated with unintended pregnancy and has been hypothesized to be associated with contraceptive noncompliance. This paper explores the association between contraceptive use and recent IPV using data from a case-control study of 231 women (143 abused and 83 control women). The aims of this study are to ascertain whether: (1) abused women rely on different types of contraception than non-abused women; (2) abused women are more likely than non-abused women to not use any form of contraception; and (3) abused women are more likely to not use their preferred method of contraception. Contraceptive discrepancy between a woman's preferred and actual contraceptive methods is a new concept explored in this paper. Understanding why women are not using their preferred method of contraception may be important to understanding discontinuation of and noncompliance with certain methods. Approximately 14% of the sample used no form of contraception during the preceding year; the significant predictors of contraceptive nonuse were age and relationship status. Abused women were more likely to use condoms and less likely to use oral contraceptives. Women who were experiencing both physical and emotional violence were significantly more likely to report a contraceptive discrepancy compared to women experience no abuse (OR: 2.5, 95% CI: 1.2-5.5).

Learning Objectives:

• Discuss the relationships between intimate partner violence, unintended pregnancy, abortion, and contraceptive use;
• List factors associated with not using contraception.

Keywords: Contraception, Violence

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered