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Participation in self-help groups among women seeking contraceptives in Nairobi

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Mar 01, 2024 version files 126.74 KB

Abstract

Reproductive coercion (RC) is a prevalent form of gender-based violence that interferes with female reproductive agency and is highly associated with intimate partner violence (IPV). Women’s self-help groups are a promising avenue to increase support and coping for violence, but little research exists to describe how survivors participate in women’s self-help groups nor how they may discuss RC within these groups. This study aims to quantitatively assess the potential of women’s-only self-help groups as a platform for reaching women in need of support for RC and IPV among a sample of reproductive-aged women seeking contraceptive services from private, community-based clinics in Nairobi, Kenya (n=659). To do this, we (1) described women’s use of self-help groups and (2) examined associations of women’s experience of RC and IPV with self-help group participation and discussion of RC within self-help groups. We also assessed differences in discussion of RC by group type (loans and savings clubs, charitable/social work, religious group, sports/hobbies, others). We found that more than half of women participated in self-help groups, with most of these women participating in economic self-help groups (63%), and that self-help group participation was not associated with prior experience of RC or IPV. Women who had ever experienced RC were more likely to report discussing RC within women’s self-help groups (AOR 1.82 95% CI 1.06-3.14), and RC discussion was less commonly reported in economic groups compared to charitable/social work groups.  Findings highlight that participation in and discussion of RC within women’s-only self-help groups is common and acceptable to survivors, and supports the need to integrate RC and IPV programming, particularly within the common, sustainable, and scalable structure of economic women’s self-help groups.