TY - JOUR
T1 - Male Partner Pregnancy-Promoting Behaviors and Adolescent Partner Violence
T2 - Findings from a Qualitative Study with Adolescent Females
AU - Miller, Elizabeth
AU - Decker, Michele R.
AU - Reed, Elizabeth
AU - Raj, Anita
AU - Hathaway, Jeanne E.
AU - Silverman, Jay G.
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported by grants to Dr Silverman from the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control/CDC (U36/CCU300430-23) and to Dr Miller from the William T. Grant Scholars Program (Grant #2529). The authors thank the many young women and their counselors and providers who so willingly shared their stories and experiences with us. We also thank the HAVEN program at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harbor Communities Overcoming Violence (HarborCOV), Massachusetts General Hospital Revere and Chelsea Health Centers, Choice Thru Education, New Bedford Pregnant and Parenting Teens Program, Youth on Fire, Full Circle Alternative High School, and the Cambridge Health Alliance for their support and assistance with this project.
PY - 2007/9
Y1 - 2007/9
N2 - Objective: To examine the context of pregnancy and sexual health among adolescent females with a history of intimate partner violence (IPV). This paper reports on a subset of females who described abusive male partners' explicit pregnancy-promoting behaviors (ie, messages and behaviors that led females to believe their partner was actively trying to impregnate them). Methods: Semistructured interviews were conducted with 53 sexually active adolescent females, with known history of IPV, about violence, sexual experiences, and related behaviors. Interviews were analyzed using a content analysis approach; 14 interviews in which females reported that partners were actively trying to impregnate them were further analyzed for pregnancy and contraceptive use. Results: Participants (N = 53) were aged 15 to 20 years, with notable minority representation, 21% African American (n = 11) and 38% Latina (n = 20). Over half (n = 31, 58%) had experienced pregnancy. A key finding was that approximately one quarter of participants (26%, n = 14) reported that their abusive male partners were actively trying to get them pregnant. Females' stories revealed that abusive male partners desiring pregnancy manipulated condom use, sabotaged birth control use, and made explicit statements about wanting her to become pregnant. Conclusions: Pregnancy-promoting behaviors of male abusive partners may be one potential mechanism underlying associations between adolescent IPV and pregnancy. These findings suggest that exploring pregnancy intentions and behaviors of partners of sexually active adolescents may help to identify youth experiencing IPV. The frequency of birth control sabotage and explicit attempts to cause pregnancy in adolescent IPV needs to be examined at the population level.
AB - Objective: To examine the context of pregnancy and sexual health among adolescent females with a history of intimate partner violence (IPV). This paper reports on a subset of females who described abusive male partners' explicit pregnancy-promoting behaviors (ie, messages and behaviors that led females to believe their partner was actively trying to impregnate them). Methods: Semistructured interviews were conducted with 53 sexually active adolescent females, with known history of IPV, about violence, sexual experiences, and related behaviors. Interviews were analyzed using a content analysis approach; 14 interviews in which females reported that partners were actively trying to impregnate them were further analyzed for pregnancy and contraceptive use. Results: Participants (N = 53) were aged 15 to 20 years, with notable minority representation, 21% African American (n = 11) and 38% Latina (n = 20). Over half (n = 31, 58%) had experienced pregnancy. A key finding was that approximately one quarter of participants (26%, n = 14) reported that their abusive male partners were actively trying to get them pregnant. Females' stories revealed that abusive male partners desiring pregnancy manipulated condom use, sabotaged birth control use, and made explicit statements about wanting her to become pregnant. Conclusions: Pregnancy-promoting behaviors of male abusive partners may be one potential mechanism underlying associations between adolescent IPV and pregnancy. These findings suggest that exploring pregnancy intentions and behaviors of partners of sexually active adolescents may help to identify youth experiencing IPV. The frequency of birth control sabotage and explicit attempts to cause pregnancy in adolescent IPV needs to be examined at the population level.
KW - adolescent sexual behavior
KW - interpersonal violence
KW - intimate partner violence
KW - reproductive health
KW - teen pregnancy
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U2 - 10.1016/j.ambp.2007.05.007
DO - 10.1016/j.ambp.2007.05.007
M3 - Article
C2 - 17870644
AN - SCOPUS:34548599633
SN - 1530-1567
VL - 7
SP - 360
EP - 366
JO - Ambulatory Pediatrics
JF - Ambulatory Pediatrics
IS - 5
ER -