Marital Functioning in Couples Practicing Periodic Abstinence for Family Planning

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Health
• Sociology
• Psychology

Background:

• Family planning methods significantly influence couple dynamics.
• Understanding the impact of contraception on marital functioning is crucial for reproductive health.
• Previous research has not extensively compared marital outcomes between natural and artificial family planning users.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare dyadic (marital) functioning between users of natural family planning (NFP) and users of artificial methods of contraception (AMC).

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study of 138 healthy couples in stable relationships in Santiago, Chile.
• Participants completed a structured interview and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS) to assess marital functioning.
• Couples were divided into NFP users and AMC users.

Main Results:

• NFP users demonstrated significantly higher marital functioning scores (DAS) than AMC users.
• After controlling for covariates, NFP users had a 47% greater likelihood of achieving a functional marital score.
• While AMC users reported more frequent sexual intercourse, sexual satisfaction was similar between groups.

Conclusions:

• Natural family planning use is associated with a higher probability of positive marital functioning compared to artificial contraception.
• Family planning method choice can impact intimate relationships, even in mentally and emotionally healthy couples.
• Sociodemographic differences between groups may be influenced by access to NFP information and services.