Intimate partner violence, reproductive coercion, and unintended pregnancy in women with disabilities.
Jeanne L Alhusen, Tina Bloom, Jacqueline Anderson and 1 others
PMID 31679950WHAT IT FOUND
Nine women with disabilities said partners interfered with birth control or forced sex, and they linked this to unintended pregnancy.
Eight of nine said health care providers never asked about abuse, even when they had visible bruises or were flagged as depressed.
Key findings
01Nine women reported an unintended pregnancy as the result of violence, including reproductive coercion or forced sex by an intimate partner.
02Eight of the nine women said they were never asked about violence during pregnancy.
03Five participants said safety planning would have helped, and four said birth control options were not discussed after birth.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The analysis included nine women who said violence caused their unintended pregnancy, so it does not show how common this was among all women with disabilities. Women who could not consent and those with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities were excluded, even though these groups are at high risk. The interviews happened at one time point, so they cannot show how risk changed over time. Recruitment used social media, disability websites, community organizations, and a disability community advisory board, so participants may not represent all women with disabilities.
Declared interests
The authors report no conflict of interest. The publication types list NIH extramural research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these themes as evidence that screening for abuse or safety planning reduced unintended pregnancy. The study described nine women's experiences and did not test an intervention.