Date of Award

1-1-2021

Document Type

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Public Health (MPH)

Department

School of Public Health

First Advisor

Trace S. Kershaw

Second Advisor

Tiara C. Willie

Abstract

Intimate partner violence is a human rights violation and serious threat to global public health. Economic intimate partner violence is a unique form of abuse whose effects on health need clarification. Data from the 2011-2012 UN Multi-country Study on Men and Violence, comprised of cross-sectional samples in China, Papua New Guinea, and Sri Lanka were collected on ever-partnered women aged 18-49 years. The sample averaged some (1.14) economic violence exposure across summed behaviors (range 0-12; standard deviation=2.04). Multivariable regressions were run to assess the relationship between severity of IPV abuse types and 14 sexual and reproductive health outcomes. Adjusted analyses showed that severity of economic IPV was independently associated with reporting any condom use (95% CI: 1.01-1.17, p=0.021), experiencing reproductive coercion (95% CI: 1.02-1.07, p=0.014), and experiencing a miscarriage (95% CI: 1.03-1.19, p=0.006). Our analysis clearly highlights the importance of economic IPV driving significant negative sexual and reproductive health impacts for women, which extend beyond what is produced through exposure to physical and/or sexual IPV alone. These findings underscore the importance of both enabling women to improve their control over their reproductive health, and supporting multisectoral efforts to transform patriarchal social structures which maintain men’s entitlement to control women’s bodies. Victims of all types of IPV may benefit from improved access to antenatal care and family planning services. In different settings, interventions that aim to prevent tactics of economic abuse, promote financial safety, and let women access health services regardless of financial status may simultaneously support women’s sexual health and reproductive autonomy.

Open Access

This Article is Open Access

Included in

Public Health Commons

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