Reproductive Coercion Among Women With Disabilities: An Analysis of Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring Systems Data.
Vanessa Amos, Genevieve R Lyons, Kathryn Laughon and 2 others
PMID 37205617WHAT IT FOUND
Women with disabilities reported reproductive coercion at 6.2%, compared to 1.7% for women without disabilities.
These women had four times the odds of experiencing coercion, where a partner tried to prevent birth control use. Screening must be done privately, separate from any support persons.
Key findings
01The prevalence of reproductive coercion was 1.7% for respondents reporting no disability and 6.2% for respondents reporting at least one disability.
02Respondents who reported a disability had 4 times the odds of experiencing reproductive coercion compared to those who did not.
03Screening for reproductive coercion must be conducted in a private setting, which is particularly important for persons with disabilities who often require a support person during visits.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The analysis was restricted to Massachusetts data because it was the only state with both disability and reproductive coercion questions, limiting generalizability. The sample size for women with disabilities was small, leading to data sparsity and unstable adjusted models. Different types of disabilities were collapsed into one variable, preventing analysis of specific disability types. The study relied on self-reported data from a survey administered 2 to 6 months postpartum, which may miss women who did not deliver live infants or have significant cognitive impairments. The cross-sectional design cannot confirm the directionality of the relationship between disability and reproductive coercion.
Declared interests
The authors report no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume this study proves disability causes reproductive coercion or that specific types of disabilities carry different risks. The data is cross-sectional, adjusted models were unstable, and all disability types were grouped together, so the association is descriptive rather than causal or granular.