CORRELATES OF REPRODUCTIVE COERCION AND STRATEGIES TO MINIMIZE HARM AMONG LATINA WOMEN

Statement of problem: Reproductive coercion (RC) is abusive or controlling behavior that interferes with autonomous reproductive health decision-making by women. It is understudied, especially in Latina women, and is a critical factor in health outcomes disproportionately experienced by Latina women, such as unintended pregnancy. Methods: This study used an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design. In Phase 1, 13 adult Latina women who reported lifetime experience of RC participated in in-depth interviews to define RC, risk factors and safety strategies, and pregnancy intention. Findings from Phase 1 informed the quantitative phase (Phase 2), the administration of a linguistically appropriate survey on lifetime and past-year prevalence of IPV and RC, risk factors, safety and harm reduction strategies, and unintended pregnancy with 500 Latina women seeking services at an urban health center. Results: The current definition of RC is clearly applicable to Latina women. Cultural norms impacted vulnerability and resistance to RC. Factors that significantly increased risk of RC among the sample, included younger age, concurrent IPV and partner binge-drinking. There was a significant association (p=0.001) between RC and unintended pregnancy, and this relationship was not moderated by the use of safety and harm reduction strategies. Conclusions: This study adds to the growing body of literature on RC by identifying risk factors and outcomes of RC specific to a population of Latina women. Findings support the risk factors that have been identified in other studies as also relevant in this population and highlight areas for providers to have heightened suspicion for RC, such as women presenting with unintended pregnancy or seeking abortion and any woman who is suspected or confirmed to be experiencing IPV. This study also supports increased provider vigilance for RC among young Latina women reporting more than one recent partner. The use of existing provider guidelines for RC is supported in Latina women, with perhaps the greatest benefit to be gained from offering support services to plan for safety and harm reduction when make decisions about leaving unhealthy and unsafe relationships