Intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual violence are prevalent and compromise health and well-being of victims. Nearly one in four women1 and one in ten men2 in the United States report experiencing violence by a current or former spouse or partner, with adolescents and young adults at highest risk.3-5 Coerced sexual experiences are common, with 28% to 42% of women in college samples reporting at least one such experience6,7 and over three quarters of women who have been sexually assaulted reporting that the first of such experiences occurred before the age of 25.1,6 In one study, about 43 percent of high school boys and young men in college reported coerced or unwanted sexual experiences and of those, 95 percent reported their aggressor…show more content… The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists defines reproductive coercion as behaviors intended to maintain power and control in an intimate or dating relationship with an adult or adolescent through the interference of contraceptive use and in decisions about pregnancy.26 Reproductive coercion behaviors include contraceptive methods sabotage, pregnancy coercion, and pregnancy pressure.26 Reproductive coercion behaviors may involve physical manipulation or sabotage of contraception, and pressure and threats around contraceptive decisions, decisions to get pregnant, and in decisions of continuing or terminating…show more content… Adolescents are also at an increased risk for unintended pregnancy, STI/HIV risk, and poor reproductive and sexual health outcomes.29-31 The rates of dating violence and sexual coercion illustrated by the NIJ study24 as well as the Youth Risk Behavior Survey25 are indicative of the need to understand adolescent experiences and cater interventions and support services accordingly. Adolescents have fewer options than adults as well as less control over their circumstances, specifically around unwanted pregnancy, and thus, a partner’s pregnancy promoting behaviors put adolescents at greater risk for STI, HIV, and unwanted pregnancy30, and lack of awareness around reproductive coercion will keep adolescents from recognizing their partner’s behaviors and seeking help. This study will aim to identify gaps in awareness and the underlying factors contributing to those gaps, and try to capture how adolescents interpret reproductive coercion behaviors. The study will seek to answer what are the adolescent perceptions and reactions around reproductive coercion behaviors, and where are these perceptions and interpretations coming from. The formative nature of the study will seek to inform: 1) screening practices for partner violence as well as sexual and reproductive coercion, 2) development of interventions, educational materials, and resources around raising
