Outcomes of routine screening for reproductive coercion in a family planning service
Yan Cheng
A * , Eleanor G. Wilson A , Jessica R. Botfield A , Clare J. Boerma A , Jane Estoesta A , Leslie James Peters A B and Kevin McGeechan A B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Family Planning NSW, 328-336 Liverpool Road, Ashfield, NSW 2131, Australia.
B The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Sexual Health 18(5) 349-357 https://doi.org/10.1071/SH21079
Submitted: 19 April 2021 Accepted: 12 July 2021 Published: 5 October 2021
© 2021 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing
Abstract
Background: Reproductive coercion (RC) occurs when a person’s autonomous decision-making regarding reproductive health is compromised by another. RC screening, that is, the use of routine, non-invasive screening questions asked of service users/clients, is one strategy that can be used to assess for RC. Routine screening for RC was implemented within Family Planning NSW clinical consultations in December 2018. A cross-sectional study was undertaken to review the outcomes of screening to better understand the situation of RC among women accessing family planning services.
Methods: A retrospective review of clinical consultation data of eligible women attending Family Planning NSW clinics in 2019 was undertaken. Descriptive analysis was conducted and modified Poisson regression was used to estimate prevalence ratios and assess associations between binary outcomes and client characteristics.
Results: Of 7943 women eligible for RC screening, 5497 were screened (69%) and 127 women (2.3%) disclosed RC. RC was more likely to be disclosed among clients who were unemployed, had a disability or had more than one visit within 1 year.
Conclusions: Sexual and reproductive health clinicians, in particular, are well placed to conduct RC screening. However, they must have adequate training and access to resources to implement screening and respond to women who disclose RC.
Keywords: family planning service, reproductive coercion, sexual and reproductive health, screening program, reproductive coercion disclosure, contraceptive use, demographics, cross-sectional study.
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