Citation

Kusunoki Y, Barber JS. Contraception 2019; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

University of Michigan, Department of Sociology and Institute for Social Research.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.contraception.2019.08.009

PMID

31484058

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: We examined whether women's experiences across and within their intimate relationships affect their expected level of control over sex and contraceptive use. STUDY DESIGN: We used data from 648 women ages 18-20 in the Relationship Dynamics and Social Life (RDSL) study, which interviewed a random, population-based sample in a Michigan county. We used ordered logistic regression with fixed-effects to control for individual- and relationship-level characteristics.

RESULTS: We found a u-shaped relationship between intimacy/commitment and expected control, with the lowest expected control in the least intimate/committed and the most intimate/committed relationships, and the highest expected control in the intermediate relationships. Women expected more control in their long-term compared to short-term relationships, and expected control increases over time in a specific relationship. Women also expected less control in their conflictual and/or asymmetric relationships - those with older and/or violent partners, and expected control decreases after experiencing violence or a partner's non-monogamy.

CONCLUSIONS: Our results are consistent with cross-sectional research suggesting that women in violent relationships experience more reproductive coercion than women in non-violent relationships, but we also found that other aspects of intimate relationships are important determinants of expected control over sex and contraception. IMPLICATIONS: Intervention strategies should consider a wider range of intimate relationship characteristics - beyond violence - to improve women's control of their reproductive behaviors.

Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Language: en

Keywords

Birth control; Contraception; Intimate relationships; Reproductive coercion; Reproductive control