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AIMS: Reproductive coercion is associated with poor health outcomes in women. This study examined exposure to and use of reproductive coercion and care seeking among college students. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey was administered to 2291 college students of all genders seeking care in college health and counselling centres as baseline data for a cluster-randomized controlled trial. METHODS: Online surveys were collected (9/2015-3/2017). Descriptive statistics, chi-square, Fisher's exact and t-tests were analysed. RESULTS: Among female participants, 3.1% experienced reproductive coercion in the prior 4 months. Experience was associated with older age (p = .041), younger age at first intercourse (p = .004), Black/African American race (p < .001), behaviourally bisexual (p = .005), more lifetime sexual partners (p < .001) and ever pregnant (p = .010). Sexually transmitted infection (p < .001), recent drug use or smoking (p = .018; p = .001), requiring special health equipment (p = .049), poor school performance (p < .001) and all categories of violence (p = <.001-.015) were associated with women's reproductive coercion experience. Participants who experienced reproductive coercion were more likely to seek care for both counselling and healthcare, (p = .022) and sexually transmitted infection (p = .004). Among males, 2.3% reported recent use of reproductive coercion; these participants reported sexual violence perpetration (p = .005), less condom use (p = .003) and more sexual partners than non-perpetrators (p < .001). CONCLUSION: Although reproductive coercion was reported infrequently among college students, those students experiencing it appear to be at risk for poor health and academic outcomes. Health and counselling centres are promising settings to address RC and related health behaviours.
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Coerção , Comportamento Sexual , Gravidez , Humanos , Feminino , Masculino , Estudos Transversais , Parceiros Sexuais , Fatores de Risco , Saúde ReprodutivaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Addressing psychological trauma after childbirth requires accurate measurement of its prevalence, risk factors, and outcomes using validated instruments that distinguish perceptions of traumatic birth, subclinical post-traumatic stress (PTS) symptoms, and symptoms meeting a diagnostic threshold. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to review literature on psychological trauma following childbirth and appraise instruments that measure postpartum PTS. METHODS: In January 2020, the authors searched for and evaluated peer-reviewed studies that quantitatively measured PTS following hospital-based live births in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland; 37 articles were selected and evaluated. RESULTS: Levels of post-traumatic stress disorder were most commonly measured, followed by PTS symptoms. Diagnostic instruments suggested lower PTS prevalence estimates than those screening for or assessing PTS symptoms. Community samples yielded lower prevalence estimates than samples recruited from the internet or settings specifically addressing mental health. Measurement sooner after birth yielded higher estimates. CONCLUSION: Study design, sample characteristics, instruments, and timing of measurements likely impact postpartum PTS prevalence estimates. Variation in these characteristics make it difficult to draw conclusions on the prevalence of postpartum PTS. Researchers should consider the appraisal of measurement tools presented here and use rigorous study methodology when studying traumatic birth experiences and evaluating interventions.
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Parto , Transtornos de Estresse Pós-Traumáticos , Gravidez , Feminino , Humanos , Parto/psicologia , Transtornos de Estresse Pós-Traumáticos/diagnóstico , Transtornos de Estresse Pós-Traumáticos/epidemiologia , Transtornos de Estresse Pós-Traumáticos/psicologia , Parto Obstétrico/psicologia , Período Pós-Parto/psicologia , Projetos de PesquisaRESUMO
House of Ruth Maryland is a comprehensive intimate partner violence (IPV) service provider. Our academicâpractitioner partnership conducted a prospective, quasi-experimental evaluation (n = 70) of on-site transitional housing and community-based rapid rehousing to meet the safety and stability needs of individuals made homeless because of IPV. By 6-month follow-up, both IPV revictimization and housing instability significantly improved (P < .001). Housing supports through an IPV service provider advanced the dual goals of safety and housing stability for IPV survivors. Safe, affordable housing is an IPV prevention strategy. (Am J Public Health. 2022;112(6):865-870. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2022.306728).
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Habitação , Violência por Parceiro Íntimo , Humanos , Violência por Parceiro Íntimo/prevenção & controle , Maryland , Estudos Prospectivos , SobreviventesRESUMO
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This theoretical review identifies physiological mechanisms by which violence against women (VAW) may increase women's susceptibility to HIV through trauma, stress, and immune dysfunction. RECENT FINDINGS: Research documents systemic and local immune responses are related to stress and trauma from abuse across the life course (i.e., childhood, IPV, adulthood re-victimization). Findings are interpreted within a theoretical framework grounded in the Social Stress Theory and the concept of toxic stress, and highlight the current state of the science connecting: (1) VAW to the physiological stress response and immune dysfunction, and (2) the physiological stress response and inflammation to HIV susceptibility and infection in the female reproductive tract. Despite a dearth of research in human subjects, evidence suggests that VAW plays a significant role in creating a physiological environment conducive to HIV infection. We conclude with a discussion of promising future steps for this line of research.
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Violência de Gênero/psicologia , Infecções por HIV/epidemiologia , Trauma Psicológico/psicologia , Estresse Psicológico/psicologia , Adulto , Criança , Vítimas de Crime/psicologia , Exposição à Violência/psicologia , Feminino , HumanosRESUMO
Intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual violence (SV) are drivers of women's morbidity and mortality in urban environments yet remain among the most underreported crimes in the USA. We conducted 26 in-depth interviews with women who experienced past-year IPV or SV, to explore structural and community influences on police contact in Baltimore, MD. Results indicate that gender-based and race-based inequities intersected at the structural and community levels to discourage women from police contact following IPV/SV. Structural influences on police reporting included police discriminatory police misconduct, perceived lack of concern for citizens, power disparities, fear of harm from police, and IPV/SV-related minimization and victim-blaming. Community social norms of police avoidance discouraged police contact, enforced by stringent sanctions. The intersectional lens contextualizes a unique paradox for Black women: the fear of unjust harm to their partners through an overzealous and racially motivated police response and the simultaneous sense of futility in a justice system that may not sufficiently prioritize IPV/SV. This study draws attention to structural race and gender inequities in the urban public safety environment that shape IPV/SV outcomes. Race-based inequity undermines women's safety and access to justice and pits women's safety against community priorities of averting police contact and disproportionate incarceration. A social determinants framework is valuable for understanding access to justice for IPV/SV. Enhancing access to justice for IPV/SV requires overcoming deeply entrenched racial discrimination in the justice sector, and historical minimization of violence against women.
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Violência por Parceiro Íntimo/estatística & dados numéricos , Polícia/estatística & dados numéricos , Grupos Raciais/estatística & dados numéricos , Delitos Sexuais/estatística & dados numéricos , Adulto , Baltimore/epidemiologia , Feminino , Humanos , Entrevistas como Assunto , Violência por Parceiro Íntimo/psicologia , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Grupos Raciais/psicologia , Fatores Sexuais , Delitos Sexuais/psicologia , Normas SociaisRESUMO
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant health concern rooted in community experiences and other social determinants. The purpose of this study is to understand community-based risk and protective factors of IPV perpetration through participatory research that engages men who use IPV. Secondarily, we assess the relative influence, as measured by ranking, of these factors regarding risk of IPV perpetration and stress. We conducted concept mapping with Baltimore men (n = 28), ages 18 and older, enrolled in an abuse intervention program (AIP), through partnership with a domestic violence agency. Concept mapping, a three-phase participatory process, generates ideas around an issue then visually presents impactful domains via multi-dimensional scaling and hierarchical clustering. Most participants were Black (87.5%) and 20-39 years old (75%). Seven key domains, or clusters, were established. "No hope for the future" was the greatest contributor to IPV perpetration. "Socioeconomic struggles" (i.e., lack of employment) and "life in Baltimore" (i.e., homicide) were most likely to result in stress. Emergent domains related to IPV perpetration and stress were ranked similarly, but with some nuance. Having good support systems (i.e., family, community centers) were felt to prevent IPV and reduce stress. This participant-driven process among a primarily young, Black sample of Baltimore men speaks to the influence of perceived social disempowerment and underlying trauma on intimate relationships and the potential for mitigation. Few studies have engaged men who use IPV through participatory research to understand the comprehensive dynamics of an impoverished, urban environment. Results provide direction for community-based intervention and prevention programming to increase self-efficacy, particularly among younger men, and to enact trauma-informed violence prevention policy from the perspectives of male IPV perpetrators.
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Violência Doméstica/psicologia , Planejamento Ambiental/estatística & dados numéricos , Violência por Parceiro Íntimo/psicologia , Características de Residência/estatística & dados numéricos , Comportamento Sexual/psicologia , População Urbana/estatística & dados numéricos , Adulto , Idoso , Baltimore , Violência Doméstica/estatística & dados numéricos , Humanos , Violência por Parceiro Íntimo/estatística & dados numéricos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Adulto JovemRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Asthma is the leading chronic condition among children. Given this international burden, clinicians and public health professionals applied the Expanded Chronic Care Model to address health adversities of pediatric patients with asthma. OBJECTIVE: This study examined the influence of a clinical health promotion initiative on asthma control and appropriate medication management among pediatric patients. METHODS: Patients (n = 304) were recruited and screened for participation in this study. All the patients participated in a motivational interview, received clinical care, and were monitored longitudinally. Eligible patients (n = 53) were referred to one or more intervention pathways regarding physical activity, nutrition, smoking cessation, and psychosocial wellness. A comparison group (n = 90) was eligible for an intervention but chose not to participate. This analysis focused on patients who were identified as needing a health intervention beyond asthma clinical care. RESULTS: Among patients who were invited to participate in the health promotion pathways, significant decreases in asthma exacerbation were achieved by the patients who participated in the intervention compared with those who did not participate (p = 0.018). Significant improvements in asthma exacerbation, activity limitations, and asthma control were attributed to the time in clinical care (p < 0.001). In this group, asthma control significantly improved with medication (p = 0.002), and age was associated with a significant decrease in asthma exacerbation (p = 0.011). CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study demonstrated preliminary benefits in a child asthma population. In addition, this experience addressed the chronicity of pediatric asthma through patient-centered care.
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Asma/epidemiologia , Asma/prevenção & controle , Promoção da Saúde , Adolescente , Asma/etiologia , Asma/terapia , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Doença Crônica , Gerenciamento Clínico , Feminino , Humanos , Lactente , Recém-Nascido , Masculino , Assistência Centrada no Paciente , Projetos Piloto , Fatores de RiscoRESUMO
Housing instability and intimate partner violence (IPV) compromise women's sexual and reproductive health (SRH) through reduced contraceptive access and increased risk of unintended pregnancy. This study describes the reproductive health status and needs of IPV survivors receiving housing support and explores factors influencing their experience of reproductive coercion (RC), specifically. Cross-sectional baseline data from a quasi-experimental study of 70 IPV survivors enrolled in housing programs in the Baltimore, MD, metropolitan area from June 2019 through December 2020 were analyzed. Of the 70 women enrolled in the study, 70.3 percent (n = 45) desired to avoid pregnancy, but 57.4 percent were either using no contraceptive method (31.2%) or methods with low effectiveness (26.2%). Approximately, 1 in 6 women (16.4%, n = 11) experienced RC in the past 3 months, which was associated with frequency and severity of IPV (p = 0.001 to 0.005) and PTSD (p = 0.001), as well as not sharing children with the abusive partner (p = 0.002). This study highlights reproductive health risks in an important and under-studied population of women seeking housing due to IPV. Leaving an abusive relationship is a uniquely vulnerable time, and also a time of opportunity, as women are accessing services that can be tailored to their SRH needs. Significant results highlight vulnerability to and consequences of RC in this population. This study has implications for IPV support programs and housing programs that serve women.
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Female sex workers (FSWs) face prevalent violence victimization and alcohol consumption at work, yet the bidirectional pathways between these factors are not well defined. Using cohort data from 232 venue-based FSWs in Pattaya, associations of violence and alcohol use were examined within a time period and prospectively via structural equation models. Within the time period, violence victimization and alcohol use were consistently associated; by contrast, violence was not prospectively associated with FSW alcohol use. Findings define alcohol as an important risk factor for violence in sex work environments. Alcohol safety interventions should be explored as a vital component of FSW violence prevention.
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Firearms present a significant risk of intimate partner homicide (IPH) among women in the United States, and Black women continue to be overrepresented among IPH fatalities. State-level firearm restrictions for individuals under domestic violence restraining orders (DVRO) and firearm restrictions for those convicted of violent misdemeanor crimes are associated with reductions in IPH. To receive these protections, individuals must engage with the civil or criminal justice system. While access to, and engagement with, these systems may differ between Black and White populations, research has yet to examine the impact of these firearm restriction laws on IPH by racial group.We conducted pooled, cross-sectional, time-series analyses to examine the association of selected firearm restriction laws on IPH by the race of the victims, from 1981 to 2013 for 45 states in the United States.State-level DVRO firearm restrictions were associated with reductions in IPH in the White population only. The inclusion of relinquishment provisions in state DVRO firearm laws is associated with an 11% reduction in IPH and a 16% reduction in firearm IPH for White, but not Black, victims. Similarly, laws prohibiting individuals convicted of violent misdemeanors from possessing firearms are associated with a 23% reduction in IPH and a 28% reduction in firearm IPH for White victims only. The federal DVRO firearm restriction law is associated with a 27% reduction in state-level IPH and a 28% reduction in firearm IPH for Black, but not White, victims.Firearm restriction laws may have a limited impact on IPH in Black populations. Future research should examine the factors behind the differential estimated impact of these laws by the race of the victims.
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Armas de Fogo , Violência por Parceiro Íntimo , Estudos Transversais , Feminino , Homicídio , Humanos , Políticas , Estados UnidosRESUMO
Intimate partner violence (IPV) frequently leads to housing instability and homelessness among survivors. While the client populations of many housing support programs are likely to include IPV survivors who have unique safety needs, the organizational readiness of these housing providers to identify and support IPV survivors is not clear. This study assessed organizational readiness for IPV response among Rapid Re-Housing (RRH) and Transitional Housing (TH) providers in Maryland, whose client populations include women (n = 32). We adapted the Physician Readiness to Manage Intimate Partner Violence Survey (PREMIS) to create the Housing provider Readiness to Manage IPV Survey (H-REMIS), inclusive of IPV-related perceptions, policies, staff training and capability, and resources. The 12-point H-REMIS demonstrated acceptable internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's α = 0.748). Descriptive and comparative analyses domains by IPV-specific (n = 4) and general (n = 28) housing providers assessed readiness and identified areas for improvement. IPV-specific providers had higher mean organizational readiness for IPV response scores relative to non-IPV specific providers (11.3 and 7.5, respectively). High readiness areas included perceiving the importance of IPV and staff having adequate time, space, and comfort level to address IPV. Areas of low readiness included development and use of IPV response policies as well as staff training on IPV. This assessment documents concerning gaps in organizational readiness for IPV response among supportive housing providers, and pinpoints areas where training and capacity building can be most valuable. The process of improving readiness in the supportive housing sector must involve capacity building and a systems-level approach in order to ensure that all supportive housing providers are prepared to meet the needs of IPV survivors among their client population.
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Pessoas Mal Alojadas , Violência por Parceiro Íntimo , Feminino , Humanos , Maryland , Reprodutibilidade dos Testes , Inquéritos e QuestionáriosRESUMO
Intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual violence (SV) are drivers of women's morbidity and mortality yet remain among the most underreported crimes in the United States. Understanding IPV/SV survivors' justice preferences and justice definitions can strengthen violence prevention and response systems. In-depth interviews were conducted with women who experienced past-year IPV (n = 26), to explore their justice preferences and recommendations. Primary themes included accountability, safety, and rehabilitation, with examples within and outside the current justice system, and across restorative and retributive justice frameworks. Women sought accountability through a variety of means. Retributive approaches like incarceration offered accountability as well as fleeting safety, but were critically limited in addressing the root causes of violence and, in some cases, were felt to exacerbate the problem. Women's expressed needs and preferences centered on restorative aspects of justice, including perpetrator's acknowledgment of harm, achieving physical safety and stability, and perpetrator rehabilitation through counseling. Paradoxically, women's safety-related justice goals both encouraged and discouraged their engagement in the formal justice system. The discordance between women's justice preferences and their perceptions and experiences within the current justice system illustrate complex and difficult trade-offs faced by survivors in achieving physical, social, and economic safety. Moreover, they likely contribute to the low levels of IPV/SV reporting to police. Women's goals were aligned with restorative justice principles, illustrating the value of this approach. In an era of unprecedented dialogue on justice reform, results provide direction for integrating restorative justice practices to strengthen the justice response to violence against women.
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Violência por Parceiro Íntimo , Delitos Sexuais , Feminino , Objetivos , Humanos , Violência por Parceiro Íntimo/prevenção & controle , Delitos Sexuais/psicologia , Sobreviventes/psicologia , Estados Unidos , ViolênciaRESUMO
Reproductive coercion (RC) is a type of intimate partner violence that includes birth control sabotage (BCS). We explored the perceived intent behind BCS to refine RC measurement, using a mixed-methods design with a clinic-based sample of Latina women (13 interviews; 482 surveys). Women perceived partners used BCS for reasons beyond pregnancy promotion. Specifically, 16.8% of participants reported any past-year RC; this decreased to 9.5% when asked if their partner used BCS with the sole intent of getting them pregnant. RC measures and assessment should separate behavior from intent in BCS questions to not underestimate the prevalence and to guide clinical response.
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Despite extensive descriptive work on intimate partner violence (IPV) among Latina and Caribbean immigrant women (LCIW), culturally appropriate interventions for primary and secondary prevention of IPV for this population remain lacking. Developing culturally appropriate and effective prevention interventions for abused LCIW requires a more nuanced understanding regarding the dynamics of cultural values, immigration status, and manifestations of IPV. The purposes of this study were to examine LCIW's experiences of domestic violence, using a gender stereotype framework, and to describe how ascribing to gender stereotypes perpetuates and normalizes experiences of abuse. Thirty semistructured individual interviews were conducted with LCIW (a) who were at least 18 years old and (b) who had experienced abuse from an intimate partner within the last 2 years. Overall, women described themselves as communal-being caretakers, submissive, and dependent on men. From their perspective, they described their male abusers as being controlling, angry, and violent. The risk for experiencing violence increased when women defied their prescriptive gender roles by seeking employment and by developing their social networks and activities. Substance abuse and alcohol misuse also compounded their partners' abusive behaviors. Despite some women experiencing more abuse after migration to the United States, coming to the United States exposed them to other opportunities and ways of being a woman, which facilitated an awareness about their abuse and was a motivator for help-seeking and ending abuse. Our findings highlight the importance of addressing traditional gender stereotypes for secondary prevention of IPV.
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Emigrantes e Imigrantes , Violência por Parceiro Íntimo , Adolescente , Região do Caribe , Feminino , Hispânico ou Latino , Humanos , Masculino , Sexismo , Estados UnidosRESUMO
Several evaluations and meta-analytic reviews have suggested that domestic violence (DV) treatment programs have only a modest impact on reducing DV recidivism. In response, a growing number of scholars and practitioners have called for the integration of evidence-based practices into DV treatment programming. In recent years, one leading approach has been to explore the infusion of the 'principles of effective intervention (PEI),' the prevailing evidence- based practice in correctional programming, into DV treatment. Findings from initial empirical studies from scholars and practitioners working to infuse the PEI into DV treatment programs have shown promise. This article provides an overview of the PEI and research exploring the integration of the PEI into DV treatment; a discussion on how these research findings can inform DV treatment programs interested in adopting a PEI framework; and practitioners' perspectives on implementing programmatic changes and collaborating on evaluation research while also continuing to provide DV treatment.
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Survivors' considerations for re-housing following intimate partner violence (IPV) are understudied despite likely neighborhood-level influences on women's safety. We assess housing priorities and predictors of re-housing location among recent IPV survivors (n = 54) in Rapid Re-housing (RRH) in the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. Choropleth maps depict residential location relative to census tract characteristics (neighborhood deprivation index (NDI) and residential segregation) derived from American Community Survey data (2013-2017). Linear regression measured associations between women's individual, economic, and social factors and NDI and segregation. In-depth interviews (n = 16) contextualize quantitative findings. Overall, survivors re-housed in significantly more deprived and racially segregated census tracts within their respective regions. In adjusted models, trouble securing housing (B = 0.74, 95% CI: 0.13, 1.34), comfortability with proximity to loved ones (B = 0.75, 95% CI: 0.02, 1.48), and being unsure (vs unlikely) about IPV risk (B = -0.76, 95% CI: -1.39, -0.14) were significantly associated with NDI. Economic dependence on an abusive partner (B = -0.31, 95% CI: -0.56, -0.06) predicted re-housing in segregated census tracts; occasional stress about housing affordability (B = 0.39, 95% CI: 0.04, 0.75) predicted re-housing in less segregated census tracts. Qualitative results contextualize economic (affordability), safety, and social (familiarity) re-housing considerations and process impacts (inspection delays). Structural racism, including discriminatory housing practices, intersect with gender, exacerbating challenges among survivors of severe IPV. This mixed-methods study further highlights the significant economic tradeoffs for safety and stability, where the prioritization of safety may exacerbate economic devastation for IPV survivors. Findings will inform programmatic policies for RRH practices among survivors.
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Habitação , Violência por Parceiro Íntimo , Baltimore , Feminino , Humanos , Sobreviventes , WashingtonRESUMO
Despite compromising women's health and safety, intimate partner violence (IPV) is among the most underreported crimes, and our understanding of factors that drive police reporting by race/ethnicity is underdeveloped. The purpose of this study is to examine racial/ethnic differences in self-reporting IPV to police. Race/ethnicity-stratified models identified predictors of reporting IPV to police among recent, female survivors (n = 898) in the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS; 2011-15). Focus groups (n = 3) with recent survivors (n = 19) in Baltimore, MD (2018), contextualized results. Black women in the NCVS were twice as likely to report IPV to police relative to White women (AOR = 2.05, 95% CI: 1.01-4.15). In race/ethnicity-stratified models, police reporting significantly increased with increasing age between 18 and < 35 years (AOR = 1.18, 95% CI: 1.05-1.33) for Black women, and with IPV-related injury for Black (AOR = 2.51, 95% CI: 1.10-5.71) and Hispanic women (AOR = 2.87, 95% CI: 1.22-6.71); Hispanics with less than a high school education were least likely to report (AOR = 0.24, 95% CI: 0.07-0.91). Focus groups explained racial/ethnic influences on reporting including a culture of silence and discrimination, socioeconomic status, and social desirability. We identified influences on reporting IPV to police that vary by race/ethnicity using national data in context to an urban environment. Results demonstrate the need to enhance equity in survivors' health and public safety through training and organizational change.
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Negro ou Afro-Americano/estatística & dados numéricos , Vítimas de Crime/estatística & dados numéricos , Etnicidade/estatística & dados numéricos , Hispânico ou Latino/estatística & dados numéricos , Violência por Parceiro Íntimo/estatística & dados numéricos , Polícia/estatística & dados numéricos , População Branca/estatística & dados numéricos , Adolescente , Adulto , Baltimore/etnologia , Feminino , Humanos , Violência por Parceiro Íntimo/etnologia , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Fatores Socioeconômicos , Inquéritos e Questionários , Adulto JovemRESUMO
Violence is a leading source of morbidity and mortality in the United States. In this article, we suggest a public health framework for preventing community violence, intimate partner violence and sexual violence, and suicide as key forms of interpersonal and self-directed violence. These types of violence often co-occur and share common risk and protective factors. The gender, racial/ethnic, and age-related disparities in violence risk can be understood through an intersectionality framework that considers the multiple simultaneous identities of people at risk. Important opportunities for cross-cutting interventions exist, and intervention strategies should be examined for potential effectiveness on multiple forms of violence through rigorous evaluation. Existing evidence-based approaches should be taken to scale for maximum impact. By seeking to influence the policy and normative context of violence as much as individual behavior, public health can work with the education system, criminal justice system, and other sectors to address the public health burden of interpersonal violence and suicide.
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Saúde Pública , Prevenção do Suicídio , Violência/etnologia , Violência/prevenção & controle , Adolescente , Adulto , Fatores Etários , Direito Penal/organização & administração , Feminino , Promoção da Saúde/organização & administração , Humanos , Violência por Parceiro Íntimo/prevenção & controle , Masculino , Fatores Sexuais , Delitos Sexuais/prevenção & controle , Meio Social , Fatores Socioeconômicos , Estados Unidos , Adulto JovemRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Unintended pregnancy (UIP) is a persistent public health concern in the United States disproportionately experienced by racial/ethnic minorities and women of low socioeconomic status. UIP often occurs with experiences of reproductive coercion (RC) and intimate partner violence (IPV). The purpose of the study was to qualitatively describe and compare contexts for UIP risk between low-income Black and White women with histories of IPV/RC. STUDY DESIGN: Semistructured interviews were conducted with low-income Black and White women with histories of IPV or RC, ages 18 to 29 years, recruited from family planning clinics in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. RESULTS: Interviews with 10 non-Hispanic Black women and 34 non-Hispanic White women (N = 44) were included in the analysis. Differences between White and Black women emerged regarding IPV/RC experiences, gender roles in intimate relationships, and trauma histories, including childhood adversity. Fatal threats and IPV related to childbearing were most influential among White women. Among Black women, pregnancy was greatly influenced by RC related to impending incarceration, subfertility, and condom nonuse, and decisions about contraception were often dependent on the male. Sexual abuse, including childhood sexual assault, in the context of sexual/reproductive health was more prominent among White women. Childhood experiences of neglect impacted pregnancy intention and love-seeking behaviors among Black women. CONCLUSIONS: Racial differences exist in experiences of IPV/RC with regard to UIP even among women with similar economic resources and health care access. These findings provide much-needed context to the persistent racial/ethnic disparities in UIP and illustrate influences beyond differential access to care and socioeconomic status.
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Violência por Parceiro Íntimo/etnologia , Gravidez não Planejada/etnologia , Saúde Reprodutiva/etnologia , Adolescente , Adulto , Negro ou Afro-Americano , Coerção , Anticoncepção/estatística & dados numéricos , Etnicidade , Serviços de Planejamento Familiar/estatística & dados numéricos , Feminino , Humanos , Relações Interpessoais , Masculino , Pennsylvania , Pobreza , Gravidez , Pesquisa Qualitativa , Comportamento Sexual/etnologia , Parceiros Sexuais , Estados Unidos , População Branca , Adulto JovemRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To explore racial/ethnic differences in reproductive coercion (RC), intimate partner violence (IPV), and unintended pregnancy (UIP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed cross-sectional, baseline data from an intervention that was conducted between August 2008 and March 2009 in five family planning clinics in the San Francisco, California area, to examine the association of race/ethnicity with RC, IPV, and UIP among female patients aged 16-29 (n = 1234). RESULTS: RC was significantly associated with race/ethnicity, p < 0.001, [prevalence estimates: Black (37.1%), multiracial (29.2%), White (18.0%), Hispanic/Latina (24.0%), and Asian/Pacific Islander/other (API/other) (18.4%)]. Race/ethnicity was not associated with IPV. UIP was more prevalent among Black (50.3%) and multiracial (47.2%) women, with an overall range of 37.1%-50.3% among all racial/ethnic groups (p < 0.001). In adjusted analyses, factors associated with UIP were RC [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.59, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 1.26-2.01] and Black (AOR = 1.63, 95% CI = 1.02-2.60) and API/other (AOR = 1.41, 95% CI = 1.15-1.73) race/ethnicity, which remained significant in the presence of RC. Race-stratified models revealed that RC increased odds of UIP for White (AOR = 2.06, 95% CI = 1.45-2.93) and Black women (AOR = 1.72, 95% CI = 1.14-2.60). CONCLUSIONS: Black and multiracial women seeking care in family planning clinics have a disproportionately high prevalence of RC and UIP. RC may partially explain differences in UIP prevalence, with the effect of race/ethnicity slightly attenuated in RC-adjusted models. However, the impact of RC on risk for UIP was similar for White and Black women. Findings from this study support the need to understand and prevent RC, particularly among women of color. Results are foundational in understanding disparities in RC and UIP that may have implications for refinement of clinical care.