Research Focus

I am a midwife and a nursing researcher. I study gender-based violence, especially as it impacts pregnancy, pregnancy intention, and decision-making. My research has expanded knowledge about the phenomenon of reproductive coercion (RC), a relatively new area of study, by looking specifically at a population of Latinx women and identifying a synergistic effect of RC and intimate partner violence on unintended pregnancy. My primary career goal is to improve reproductive justice, health equity, autonomy, and self-efficacy for all people, especially those with capacity for pregnancy who experience violence and coercion. I want to accomplish this through understanding structural and individual-level factors that contribute to reproductive health inequity, especially in the areas of pregnancy intention, planning, and reproductive autonomy. In the future, my research will continue to provide context to the phenomenon of reproductive coercion and test interventions to interrupt coercion and increase self-efficacy.

Current Projects

■ I have applied for NIH funding to explore reproductive coercion (RC) in college students and to expand the use of a decision-aid app (myPlan) to address RC.

■ I am currently conducting a mixed methods study of outcomes associated with novel categories of pregnancy intention.

xSelect Publications

■ Grace, K. T., & Miller, E. (2023). Future directions for reproductive coercion and abuse research. Reproductive Health, 20(1).

■ Grace, K. T. et al. (2022). Birth control sabotage motivation and measurement: A mixed- methods analysis among Latina women. Violence Against Women.

■ Grace, K. T. et al. (2020). Reproductive coercion, intimate partner violence, and unintended pregnancy among Latina women. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 1604- 1636.

■ Grace, K. T. et al. (2020). Correlates of reproductive coercion among college women in abusive relationships: Baseline data from the college safety study. Journal of American College Health, 70(4), 1204-1211.