142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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College women and reproductive coercion

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Tuesday, November 18, 2014 : 5:15 PM - 5:30 PM

Melissa A. Sutherland, PhD, APRN-BC , William F. Connell School of Nursing, Boston College, Boston, MA
Heidi Collins Fantasia, PhD, RN, WHNP-BC , College of Health Sciences, School of Nursing, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA
Holly Fontenot, PhD, RN, WHNP-BC , William F. Connell School of Nursing, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA
Background: Reproductive coercion is male behavior to control contraception and pregnancy outcomes and may include pregnancy coercion and/or birth control sabotage. Prior research on reproductive coercion examined adolescents and young women seeking health care services at specialized clinical settings such as family planning clinics, obstetrics/gynecology clinics or domestic violence shelters. To date, reproductive coercion among college women has not been studied. The purpose of this analysis was to describe reproductive coercion among a sample of college women. 

Methods: A cross-sectional on-line survey was administered to female college females ages 18-25 years attending a large public university in the northeast United States. The responses of 972 women were analyzed.

Results: Almost 8% of the women (n = 76) reported reproductive coercion as evidenced by reports of pregnancy coercion, birth control sabotage, and/or both. Women reported more pregnancy coercion (6.8%) than birth control sabotage (3.9%). Being told you not to use any birth control was the most common reported act, with 6.8% (n = 62) of women reporting this behavior by a male partner. Relationship violence was reported by 20.6% (n = 201) of the women. Of the women who reported reproductive coercion (n = 76), 57% also screened positive relationship violence (95% CI: 2.74 to 7.29).

Conclusions: Pregnancy coercion and birth control sabotage are occurring among young college women and in the context of partner violence. In addition to screening and counseling for partner violence, college health providers need to assess for reproductive coercion and tailor contraceptive counseling discussions accordingly.

Learning Areas:

Public health or related nursing
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Describe reproductive coercion and partner violence among a sample of college women.

Keyword(s): Reproductive Health, Violence & Injury Prevention

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Melissa Sutherland is an Assistant Professor at the William F. Connell School of Nursing, Boston College. She received her PhD from the University of Virginia, and a Master’s and Bachelor’s degree from Binghamton University. Her research focuses on the intersection of interpersonal violence and sexual health among women. She is a family nurse practitioner and teaches community health/population health at both the undergraduate and graduate levels at Boston College.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4459.0: Public Health Nursing and Domestic Violence