Intimate partner violence and interference with women's efforts to avoid pregnancy in Jordan

This study examines the association between intimate partner violence (IPV) and women's experience of interference with their attempts to avoid pregnancy among 353 women surveyed at reproductive health clinics throughout Jordan. Approximately 20 percent of respondents indicated that their husbands or someone else had interfered. Among those others than husbands who were identified, mothers-in-law were the most frequently mentioned, followed by the respondents' mothers and sisters-in-law. Multivariate logistic regression was used to control for potential confounders in determining whether each of the three measures of intimate partner violence (physical violence, sexual violence, and controlling behaviors) was significantly associated with having an increased risk of experiencing interference, as were several sociodemographic variables: nonconsanguineous marriage, residence with in-laws, and rural residence. Physicians, nurses, and family planning counselors must be made aware of the challenges that women may face from their families when they attempt to regulate their fertility.