Sexual Coercion, Intimate Partner Violence, and Homicide: A Scoping Literature Review

Abstract

The specific relationship between sexual coercion, intimate partner violence (IPV) during pregnancy, and intimate partner homicide (IPH) is poorly understood. Through a scoping literature review, we identified 101 studies on sexual coercion, IPV during pregnancy, and IPH and created a conceptual model suggesting unintended pregnancies may serve as both a risk factor for and a product of IPV that may escalate to IPH. We illustrate a healthcare systems intervention implication of this model in the context of the Colorado Family Planning Initiative (CFPI). Descriptive statistics suggest an inverse association between contraception access and IPH, which declined by 62% during the first 4 years of the CFPI. Interventions aimed at improving reproductive agency, including improving contraception access and reducing unintended pregnancy, may be a useful opportunity for clinician and health systems to contribute to reducing both lethal and nonlethal IPV.