Reeves, Georgia2024-07-112024-07-112022https://hdl.handle.net/2440/141576This item is only available electronically.Reproductive coercion, which can involve contraceptive sabotage, pregnancy pressure, and/or pregnancy control, is a form of abuse predominately experienced by females. Despite rates of reproductive coercion appearing to be rising, little is known about health professionals' knowledge and ability to navigate this important issue. Consequently, this research aimed to explore health professionals' knowledge of reproductive coercion and how they screen, identify and respond to it. Five databases were searched; after appropriate screening and quality appraisal, nine high-quality studies from three countries, comprising 221 participants, were included in the research. A meta-aggregative meta-synthesis approach resulted in three synthesised findings related to the research aims. Key findings suggest that health professionals have limited knowledge about reproductive coercion, consequently leading to poor screening and identification, which is more evident in culturally diverse patients. Findings also suggest that responding effectively to reproductive coercion is complex, and health professionals have exhausted the minimal resources available to them. These findings further suggest that reproductive coercion is a multifaceted problem that leads to adverse reproductive outcomes which hinder a person's bodily autonomy and their right to reproductive freedom. Health professionals are ill-equipped to manage the issue alone and rely on multiple resources to assist patients experiencing reproductive coercion. Future research would benefit from a stronger emphasis on the different types of resources needed for health professionals to tackle reproductive coercion effectively.Honours; PsychologyThesis