A Qualitative Study of Pregnancy Intention and the Use of Contraception among Homeless Women with Children

We undertook a qualitative analysis informed by grounded theory to explore pregnancy intention and the barriers to contraceptive use as perceived by homeless women with children. Semi-structured interviews (n = 22) were performed in English and in Spanish. The dominant theme emerging from the interv...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of health care for the poor and underserved 2014-05, Vol.25 (2), p.757-770
Main Authors: Kennedy, Sara, Grewal, Mandeep, Roberts, Elizabeth M, Steinauer, Jody, Dehlendorf, Christine
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Birth control
Child
Contraception
Contraception - psychology
Contraception - statistics & numerical data
Family planning
Female
Grounded Theory
Health care
Health services
Health Services Accessibility
Homeless people
Homeless women
Homelessness
Humans
Ill-Housed Persons - psychology
Intention
Interviews as Topic
Pregnancy
Pregnancy - psychology
Qualitative analysis
Qualitative Research
Reproductive health
Reproductive Health Services
San Francisco
Sexual behavior
Studies
Womens health
Young Adult
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Summary:We undertook a qualitative analysis informed by grounded theory to explore pregnancy intention and the barriers to contraceptive use as perceived by homeless women with children. Semi-structured interviews (n = 22) were performed in English and in Spanish. The dominant theme emerging from the interviews was a strong desire to avoid pregnancy while homeless. However, few women in our sample used contraception or accessed reproductive health care consistently. There were multiple barriers to using contraception and to accessing reproductive health care services that homeless women reported: (1) inability to prioritize health due to competing demands, (2) shelter-related obstacles and restrictive provider practices that impede access to reproductive health care services and the use of contraception, and (3) change in the power dynamics of sexual relationships while homeless, making women more vulnerable to sexual exploitation. Findings suggest a multifactorial approach is needed to help homeless women use contraception and access reproductive health services.
ISSN:1049-2089
1548-6869
1548-6869
DOI:10.1353/hpu.2014.0079