Contraceptive use and associations with intimate partner violence among a population‐based sample of New Zealand women

Abstract

Aim: To outline the use of contraception among a representative sample of New Zealand women, and explore associations with intimate partner violence (IPV), and contraception and condom use. Methods: Face‐to‐face interviews were conducted with a random sample of 2790 women who had ever had sexual intercourse, aged 18–64 years old in two regions (urban and rural) in New Zealand. Analyses were conducted using logistic regression and Wald χ2 tests. Results: Almost all women had used contraception at some point in their life, and almost one half of all women 18–49 years were currently using methods of contraception. Contraceptive use and methods varied significantly by location. Women who had ever experienced IPV were significantly more likely to report having ever used contraception, compared with women who had not experienced IPV (91% vs 85.2%). While having a partner who refused to use or tried to stop women from using a method of contraception was rare, it was significantly more common among women who had ever experienced IPV (5.4% vs 1.3%). Conclusions: Most women have used contraception at some point. Women who have ever experienced IPV were: more likely to have used contraception than women who have not experienced IPV, and to have had partners who refused to use condoms or prevented women from using contraception. Partner refusal may be a key indicator of IPV. These findings emphasise the importance of family violence screening at routine health consultations.

Experiences of intimate-partner violence and contraception use among ever-married women in Jordan

“…While this finding contrasts with many previous studies, including those in Jordan [6,8], it adds to a growing body of international literature that demonstrates a positive association between IPV and female contraception use [13,14]. Additionally, among previous studies that disaggregated types of IPV, there was evidence from sub-Saharan Africa that sexual violence was positively associated with contraception use [13].…”

“…Although no significant association [2,14]. Women who reported ever experiencing severe physical violence had on average significantly lower odds of currently using contraception (OR = 0.34).…”

“…The global literature has established significant associations between IPV and contraception use, though these have been found to be both positive [2,13,14] and negative [15][16][17]. Previous research in Jordan has demonstrated a negative association between IPV and contraception use [6,8].…”

Intimate partner violence and unintended pregnancy: prevalence and associated factors

“…Inconsistent use of contraceptive may express the great difficulty involved in negotiating contraception for women in violent relationships. Fanslow et al 36 have pointed out that a partner's refusal to use contraception may be an indicator of violence in the context of relationships between couples, which is reiterated by Brazilian studies 17,36,37 .…”

Neighborhood and Individual-Level Violence and Unintended Pregnancy

“…10 Fanslow et al conducted a large study of over 2,300 women who had ever been pregnant and found that experiencing violence during pregnancy resulted in a lower proportion of women reporting wanting the pregnancy (28% vs. 55%), and a higher proportion of women reporting later access to prenatal care, smoking, and/or alcohol use during the pregnancy (67% vs. 22% and 31% vs. 20%, respectively). 11 Although both the prevalence of unintended pregnancy and its consequences are well documented, the literature is very limited with respect to environmental factors such as community and neighborhood-level violence and unintended pregnancy rates, particularly in urban areas. To our knowledge, only one study has explored the role of violence in the community as it relates to unintended pregnancy.…”