Women with HIV's Perception of Coercion During Contraceptive and Infant Feeding Counseling
Student: Raija Haughn and Shira Finke with the Women's Health Research Team
Major: Communication and Women and Gender Studies
Mentors: Dr. Beth Sundstrom
Department: Communication
Women with HIV's Perception of Coercion During Contraceptive and Infant Feeding Counseling
Reproductive care coercion has historically been associated with forced sterilization, but may also include contraceptive counseling. In addition to contraceptive counseling, women with HIV are likely to receive mixed messages related infant feeding. The purpose of this study is to investigate women with HIV's perception of coercion related to (1) long-active reversible contraceptives (LARC), sterilization, and other methods of contraception and (2) infant feeding, either breast or bottle feeding, for HIV-exposed infants. Patient perceptions of coercion related to infant feeding and contraception will be assessed through quantitative and qualitative data. In addition to collecting data at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), this multi-site trial will recruit participants from additional academic medical center sites nationwide. Findings from this study will help HIV care providers understand patient-perceived barriers related to patient counseling in regards to infant feeding and contraception.