Experiences of Intimate Partner Violence and Contraception Use Amongst Ever-Married Women in Jordan

Purpose: This study addressed the relationship between intimate partner violence (IPV) and contraception use among ever married women in Jordan, using the 2007 Jordan Population and Family Health Survey (JPFHS) dataset. Though the international empirical base suggests that there can be either a negative or positive association between IPV and contraception use, the majority of international research and studies within Jordan have demonstrated a negative association. This study hypothesized a negative relationship between the two in Jordan. This study is believed to be one of the first studies to use a population-based dataset to explore a potential association between IPV and contraception use in Jordan. While the majority of previous studies have measured all forms of IPV in one general category, this study specifies IPV as emotional, less severe physical, severe physical and sexual violence to engender a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between different forms of IPV and contraception use. This study is also one of the first to examine the relationship between ever experiencing IPV and current contraception use, thereby addressing the temporal relationship between these variables.

Methods: A logistic regression model was utilized to explore the relationship between current contraception use and ever experiencing sexual, severe physical, less severe physical and emotional violence. Control variables included marriage, age, woman's education, husband's education, wealth index, women's employment, number of children, fertility preferences, husband's views on contraception, recent sexual activity, consanguinity, knowledge of STIs, rural/urban residence, Badia/non-Badia residence, and whether a woman had menstruated within the past 3 months as control variables. A second logistic regression model was conducted utilizing ever experiencing any kind of IPV as the primary independent variable.

Results: The results demonstrated that women who reported ever experiencing severe physical violence from their husband were less likely to use contraception than women who did not report experiencing severe physical violence. On the contrary, women who reported ever experiencing sexual violence from their husband were more likely to use contraception than women who did not report sexual violence. Emotional violence and less severe physical violence showed no significant relationship to contraception use. For women who reported sexual or less severe physical violence, each additional child they had reduced the likelihood that they would use contraception. Ever experiencing any kind of IPV demonstrated a positive relationship with current contraception use. Education, asset ownership, age, number of children, and fertility preferences were found to be predictors of contraception use. Residence in Badia areas and consanguineous marriages were found to be negatively associated with contraception use.

Implications: These findings have implications for the provision of both contraception services and IPV screening/services in Jordan, as well as the specification of services for women most vulnerable to both IPV and unintended pregnancies. The authors present recommendations for future social work research on IPV and contraception considering the unique experiences of different kinds of violence as well as the temporal relationship between IPV experiences and contraception use.