Intimate Partner Violence and Risk of Unintended Pregnancy: Findings from Rural India

Intimate partner violence (IPV) and unintended pregnancy (UP) are significant public health concerns with profound implications for women’s well-being. Only limited evidence is available on the association between IPV and UP for rural areas of India. Therefore, this chapter aims to examine this specific association in the context of rural India. Data from the fifth round of the National Family Health Survey were examined to evaluate the relationship between IPV and UP among rural women aged 18–49. UP was the dependent variable, and the primary predictor variable was the IPV. A logistic regression analysis was employed to explore the association between IPV and UP while controlling for other factors influencing the likelihood of UP. The findings suggest that women who reported IPV were more prone to experience UP even after adjusting for relevant factors. The likelihood of UP was approximately 1.6 times higher among those subjected to either physical or sexual IPV and 2.6 times higher among those experiencing both sexual and physical IPV compared to women who never experienced IPV. The study reveals a significant association between UP and IPV in rural India, emphasizing the pressing need to enhance and adapt existing IPV interventions to mitigate the associated risk of UP. Efforts should be directed towards devising comprehensive strategies aimed at preventing and addressing IPV while also catering to the reproductive health needs of women in abusive relationships.