Reproductive Coercion and Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration Among Young Adult Males

Abstract

Reproductive coercion is any behavior that attempts to control the autonomous reproductive decision-making of an intimate partner. Very little research has focused on males who perpetrate reproductive coercion. Using a diverse community sample of young adults, we examined the prevalence of lifetime reproductive coercion perpetration and its relationship with other forms of intimate partner violence (IPV). Results demonstrated that approximately 6.4% of the men reported perpetrating reproductive coercion in their lifetime. Chi-square analyses demonstrated that men who reported sexual (16.2%), physical (11.1%), or psychological (59.1%) IPV perpetration, relative to men who did not, reported a significantly higher prevalence of reproductive coercion perpetration.