Differences in Contraceptive Use between Abused and Non-Abused Women

Corrine Williams, Harvard University
Laura McCloskey, Harvard University

In the US in 1994, 49.2% of pregnancies were unintended; in 2002, 7.4% of women were sexually active and were not trying to get pregnant but were not currently using any form of contraception. Domestic violence has been hypothesized as a factor that may be associated with contraceptive noncompliance. This paper explores differences in contraceptive use between abused and non-abused women, specifically whether abused women utilize different forms of birth control than non-abused women and whether they report more discrepancy between preferred and actual contractive method. In preliminary analyses, abused women were less likely to report having used birth control pills and were more likely to have used condoms in the last 12 months. Women experiencing physical and emotional abuse were also more likely to report not using their preferred method of contraception in the past 12 months compared to non-abused women (OR:2.1, 95%CI:1.0-4.4).