Association between Intimate Partner Violence and Contraceptive Use Discontinuation in India

Abstract

Research on the association between experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV) and contraceptive use discontinuation in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is limited. This study aims to fill this important gap using microdata collected from women aged 15-49 in the 2015-2016 National Family Health Survey (NFHS). Analyses used multivariable multinomial logistic regressions stratified by long-acting reversible contraceptive methods (LARC)/non-LARC and condom/pill to examine the association between experience of IPV and contraceptive use discontinuation while still in need (DWSIN). Experience of physical violence was associated with DWSIN among LARC/IUD users (RRR: 3.73, 95 percent CI [1.55-8.95]) Among condom users, DWSIN was higher among women who experienced emotional violence compared with women who did not experience any violence (RRR: 4.16, 95 percent CI [1.59-10.90]). Although we did not find an association between IPV and overall contraceptive use discontinuation, we did find compelling evidence of an association between IPV and IUD and condom use discontinuation in India. There is a need to understand women's experience of IPV as a part of a broader strategy to provide high-quality family planning services to all women while considering individual circumstances and reproductive aspirations to support the uninterrupted use of contraception in India.

Keywords: 2015-2016 National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4); India; contraceptive use discontinuation; contraceptive use discontinuation while still in need (DWSIN); intimate partner violence.