Adaptation and Testing of the Addressing Reproductive Coercion in HEalth Settings (ARCHES) Intervention in Bangladesh (ARCHES)

Adaptation and Testing of the Addressing Reproductive Coercion in HEalth Settings (ARCHES) Intervention to Improve Reproductive Autonomy and Reproductive Health Among Abortion Clients in Bangladesh

The primary purpose of this research is to conduct a brief project to adapt and evaluate an evidence-based intervention model to address reproductive coercion and unintended pregnancy (ARCHES - Addressing Reproductive Coercion within Healthcare Settings) to the Bangladesh cultural context and for use with abortion clients (i.e., develop ARCHES Bangladesh) so as to provide initial assessment of acceptability, feasibility and effectiveness in this high-need LMIC context. Globally, addressing violence and coercion from male partners is considered key to reducing unintended pregnancy among adult and adolescent women. This has led to multiple efforts to integrate IPV screening and counseling in health settings, particularly in the context of family planning, across a range of middle and low-income countries. However, to date, no existing model addressing reproductive coercion has demonstrated reduction in risk for unintended pregnancy, either for Bangladesh or any other country.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Violence, Domestic
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: ARCHES

Detailed Description

Reproductive coercion and partner violence are associated with unwanted pregnancy and abortion globally. In Bangladesh, women reporting partner violence are more likely to access abortion outside the health system and less likely to access post-abortion contraception, especially if accompanied to the clinic by their partner, which suggests additional intervention is needed to support clients' reproductive autonomy and ultimately their ability to safely control their fertility. ARCHES (Addressing Reproductive Coercion in HEalth Settings) is a clinic-based harm reduction intervention that empowers women to implement strategies that mitigate the impact of reproductive coercion on their reproductive health. ARCHES has been shown to reduce reproductive coercion among family planning clients in the U.S., but it has not previously been used in Asia or specifically with MR/PAC clients. This study seeks to adapt the ARCHES intervention for use with MR/PAC clients in Bangladesh and to test its effectiveness through a cluster randomized controlled trial. Overall, this study is expected to result in 1) evidence of the effectiveness of the adapted ARCHES intervention in increasing contraceptive use and reducing reproductive coercion, and ultimately in reducing the risk for future unintended pregnancy and unsafe abortion, and 2) evidence on the elements required for successful implementation in high volume MR/PAC clinics.

The aims of this study are:

1. To conduct formative work to inform the adaptation of the ARCHES intervention to the Bangladesh context and for use with abortion clients.
2. To pilot the adapted intervention
3. To test the effect of the adapted ARCHES intervention on uninterrupted contraceptive use and reproductive coercion, and ultimately reduction in future unintended pregnancy and unsafe abortion, among abortion clients in Bangladesh.
4. To evaluate implementation of the ARCHES intervention using an implementation science approach.
5. To understand out of clinic abortion attempts and how these attempts interact with women's experiences of violence.
6. To assess structural, community-related, and cultural barriers to accessing MR, methods of self-induced abortion, and abortion care received prior to presenting for MR/PAC.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 2729
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Bangladesh
  • Chittagong, Bangladesh
    • Chittagong Medical College Hospital RHSTEP Clinic
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh
    • Dhaka Medical College Hospital RHSTEP Clinic
  • Farīdpur, Bangladesh
    • Faridpur Medical College Hospital RHSTEP Clinic
  • Rajshahi, Bangladesh
    • Rajshahi Medical College Hospital RHSTEP Clinic
  • Rangpur, Bangladesh
    • Rangpur Medical College Hospital RHSTEP Clinic
  • Sylhet, Bangladesh
    • Sylhet Osmani Medical College Hospital RHSTEP Clinic

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 49 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Woman receiving MR or PAC services during the evaluation phase in all 6 selected RHSTEP clinics
• Age 18-49
• Able to provide a safe phone number at which they can be contacted for study follow-up
• Not being accompanied to the clinic by a person (e.g. spouse, family member) who refuses to allow her to be spoken to privately by the provider and/or research assistant
• Able to provide informed consent
• Able to communicate in Bangla
• Not planning on moving out of the area in the coming year

Exclusion Criteria:

• Woman not receiving MR or PAC services during the evaluation phase in the 6 selected RHSTEP clinics
• Not age 18-49
• Unable to provide a safe phone number for follow-up
• Accompanied to the clinic by a person (e.g. spouse, family member) who refuses to allow her to be spoken to privately by the provider and/or research assistant
• Unable to provide informed consent
• Unable to communicate in Bangla
• Planning on moving out of the area in the coming year

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Intervention: ARCHES; All women attending facilities assigned to the intervention arm receive the Addressing Reproductive Coercion within Healthcare Settings (ARCHES) intervention.	Behavioral: ARCHES; Addressing Reproductive Coercion within Healthcare Settings (ARCHES) is a clinic-based intervention developed in the U.S., and involves training existing health providers to identify RC and IPV during standard family planning clinic-based counselling interactions. The intervention seeks to empower women with harm reduction strategies that minimize their risk for unintended pregnancy by offering a wide range of contraceptive options, providing counseling on correct and consistent use of contraception, and counseling on contraceptive methods that are difficult for a male partner to detect or block such as injectables or IUDs. ARCHES also facilitates access to violence support and counselling services by connecting women with community-based IPV services.
No Intervention: Control; All women attending facilities assigned to the control arm receive the standard of care (no intervention).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Modern contraceptive use without interruption or partner interference	Proportion of women reporting use of a modern contraceptive method (pills, condoms, injectables, IUD, implant, sterilization) without reported interruption or partner interference such as contraceptive sabotage.	Past 4 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Reproductive coercion	Proportion of women reporting reproductive coercion. A reproductive coercion metric for Bangladesh is currently under development. Reproductive coercion metrics used in other settings include indicators such as contraceptive sabotage, a husband or family member preventing a woman from accessing contraception, and pressure for her to become pregnant when she does not wish to be pregnant. This description will be replaced with the reproductive coercion metric developed for Bangladesh when it is available.	Past 4 months
Unsafe abortion	Proportion of women reporting accessing unsafe abortion services, including an unsafe provider (provider who is untrained or unauthorized to provide abortion services) or using an unsafe method of abortion (a method that is not a WHO-approved uterine evacuation method).	Past 12 months
Unintended pregnancy	Proportion of women reporting that when they got pregnant, they did not want to get pregnant at that time.	Past 12 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Ipas
• Collaborators: University of California, San Diego; Ipas Bangladesh; Bangladesh Association for Prevention of Septic Abortion
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Erin E Pearson, PhD, Ipas

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 28, 2019
• Primary Completion (Actual): January 15, 2021
• Study Completion (Actual): January 15, 2021

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 14, 2018
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 25, 2018
• First Posted (Actual): May 29, 2018

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): September 5, 2021
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 2, 2021
• Last Verified: February 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: BD_01

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: No

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No