A qualitative exploration of reproductive coercion experiences and perceptions in four geo-culturally diverse sub-Saharan African settings

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dc.contributor.authorOmoluabi, Elizabeth
dc.contributor.authorThomas, Haley L.
dc.contributor.authorBell, Suzanne O
dc.contributor.authorKarp, Celia
dc.date.accessioned2025-01-17T12:27:53Z
dc.date.available2025-01-17T12:27:53Z
dc.date.issued2024
dc.description.abstractReproductive coercion (RC) is any intentional behavior that interferes with another’s reproductive decision-making or pregnancy outcome. This study aims to qualitatively examine RC experiences and perceptions among women and men in Ethiopia, Nigeria (Kano and Anambra States), and Uganda. This is a secondary analysis utilizing qualitative data from the Women’s and Girls’ Empowerment in Sexual and Reproductive Health study. Across sites, focus group discussions (38 groups; n=320 participants) and in-depth interviews (n=120) were conducted, recorded, and transcribed. Transcripts were loaded into Atlas.ti, and quotes describing experiences of reproductive control or abuse were coded as “reproductive coercion.” RC quotes were input into a matrix for thematic analysis. Emergent RC themes included indirect reproductive pressures, direct family planning interference, concurrent experiences of violence, and responses to RC. Indirect reproductive pressures included tactics to both promote and prevent pregnancy, while direct interference centered on pregnancy promotion. Women who were not compliant with their partners’ reproductive demands were often subjected to violence from multiple actors (i.e., parents, in-laws, community members) in addition to their partners. Despite concurrent forms of violence, women across sites resisted RC by using contraceptives covertly, choosing to abort, or leaving their abusive partnerships. Women and men across sites indicated that men were highly influential in fertility. RC behaviors were a mechanism of control over desired reproductive outcomes, which were often rooted in perceptions of childbearing as social status. Findings indicate a need for more nuanced community interventions targeting social norms, as well as improved RC screening and response within health services.
dc.identifier.citationThomas, H.L., Bell, S.O., Karp, C., Omoluabi, E., Kibira, S.P., Makumbi, F., Galadanci, H., Shiferaw, S., Seme, A., Moreau, C. and Wood, S.N., 2024. A qualitative exploration of reproductive coercion experiences and perceptions in four geo-culturally diverse sub-Saharan African settings. SSM-Qualitative Research in Health, 5, p.100383.
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmqr.2023.100383
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10566/19818
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherElsevier Ltd
dc.subjectContraception
dc.subjectCouples
dc.subjectQualitative research
dc.subjectReproductive coercion
dc.subjectReproductive health
dc.titleA qualitative exploration of reproductive coercion experiences and perceptions in four geo-culturally diverse sub-Saharan African settings
dc.typeArticle

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