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Fallon Schwurack Professor Judy Bunkall Biology 1615 30 March 2014 Research Summary Paper: Links Between IPV and TOP The research paper I have chosen to summarize is Association between Intimate Partner Violence and Termination of Pregnancy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis by Megan Hall, Lucy C. Chappell, Bethany L. Parnell, Paul T. Seed, and Susan Bewely of the Womens Health Academic Centre, Kings College in London, United Kingdom. The reason for this study was to see if there is a link between intimate partner violence and termination of pregnancy. If an association between intimate partner violence and termination of pregnancy does exist it could help future studies with minimizing the many health concerns and prevention of termination of pregnancy, as well as the process of effective intervention strategies. Intimate partner violence is defined, by the World Health Organization, in this article as behavior within an intimate relationship that causes physical, sexual, or psychological harm, including acts of physical aggression, sexual coercion, psychological abuse and controlling behaviors. It is sometimes called domestic violence and is considered a serious problem. Intimate partner violence mostly affects women, although men can be subjected to this violence as well. According to this study, a third of all women around the globe experience intimate partner violence at some point in their life, with some episodes lasting over a long period of time. Health concerns arise from physical

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injuries, depression, and even rape of the victim of intimate partner violence. Termination of pregnancy is briefly described as an induced abortion. Nearly half of abortions are done in unsafe conditions and in rare cases can cause the death of the mother. Intimate partner violence can lead to gynecological disorders, unwanted pregnancy, premature labor and birth, and sexually transmitted diseases. Violence may begin or get worse during pregnancy, so women going through pregnancy are often questioned about their health, family history, and even the possibility of intimate partner violence. However, when a woman wants to terminate her pregnancy she is not typically asked about intimate partner violence. Overall, this research was done to minimize unwanted pregnancies, and provide awareness and help for victims of intimate partner violence. Researches searched for studies involving intimate partner violence and termination of pregnancy, which they put through a systematic review and were ranked as low, medium, or high quality. The commonness of intimate partner violence was analyzed by a method that focuses on contrasting and combining results from different studies, in the hope of identifying patterns among study results (Wikipedia) called meta-analysis. Regression was used to explain large differences in the results of the studies. The research ranged from 1985 to 2013, over 6 continents, and included 74 studies, 35 of which were in the Unite States. The data indicated that worldwide within a year of intimate partner violence 2.5% to 30% of victims experienced termination of pregnancy, and 14% to 40% within a lifetime. These results provided evidence of an association between intimate partner violence and termination of pregnancy and repeat termination.

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Termination of pregnancy for some women may not be a single occurrence, but a second or third abortion caused by the effects of long-term intimate partner violence. One study showed that women seeking for a third termination were more than two and a half times more likely to have a history of physical or sexual violence than women seeking a first termination. According to analysis women in violent relationships were three times as likely to hide the termination from their partner. The research also showed that women that have experienced termination of pregnancy due to intimate partner violence were willing to talk about their personal experiences and welcomed the help. This research supports violence can lead to pregnancy and consequently to termination that and could lead to a repetitive cycle of abuse and pregnancy. Intimate partner violence is a possible factor for a woman seeking termination, and health care providers should consider it as a possibility. When trying to prevent repeat terminations by concraception health care professionals could be putting the woman in a more vulnerable situation for abuse. Given the association of intimate partner violence and termination of pregnancy there should be an awareness of pregnancies due to violence and an appropriate setting for interventions designed to reduce intimate partner violence.