Demographic Characteristics of Patients Applying for Legal Pregnancy Evacuation and the Incidence of Depression in Post-Discharge Patients-Prospective Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Our study aimed to investigate the demographic characteristics of patients who applied for legal curettage and the incidence of depression in patients after the procedure. Methods: Our study was carried out in Ortaca/Turkey in 2021–2022. It is a prospective cross-sectional study. Our study was conducted on 35 patients. In our study, the patients’ income level, education level, place of residence, family structure, religious belief, and the reason for the legal eviction request were investigated. It was investigated whether the patients were affected in their work, private, social, and sexual life after the procedure. Post-procedure Beck depression inventory (BDI) was applied to the patients and their spouses. The incidence of post-procedure depression was investigated. SPSS Version 28.0.1 program was used for statistical analysis. Results: The mean age was 33.74 ± 6.85 years. Reasons for termination of pregnancy: 5 patients for not married, 5 patients because the child’s father is unknown, 1 patient due to an extra-marital affair, 4 patients because they have fear of raising and caring for children, 4 patients due to family planning error, 3 patients because they have more than two children, 4 patients because they think they are too old to be mothers, 5 patients due to financial difficulties, 1 patient did not want to be a parent in any way, and 3 patients because they thought it was too early to have children. The mean BDI score of the mothers before the procedure was 10.1143 ± 0.637 and 19.457 ± 1.722 after the procedure. A statistically significant difference was found in the post-procedure BDI scores compared to the pre-procedure (p = 0.00). The fathers’ pre-procedural BDI score was 6.28 ± 1.12, the post-procedure BDI score was 7.25 ± 1.14, and there was no statistically significant difference in pre-and post-procedure BDI scores (p = 0.956). The mean BDI score of the mothers was 19.45 ± 1.72, and the mean BDI score of the fathers was 7.25 ± 1.14. BDI scores of the mothers were statistically significantly higher than those of the fathers (p = 0.00). Moderate depression in 37.1% of mothers and severe depression in 20% were detected. In fathers, 5.7% moderate depression and 2.9% severe depression were found. The frequency of moderate and severe depression in mothers was statistically significant compared to fathers (p = 0.00). The work-life of 57.1%, the social life of 45.7%, the private life of 71.4%, and the sexual life of 82.9% of women who had a legal abortion were affected. Conclusions: The incidence of depression after legal medical termination of pregnancy is not to be underestimated. Precautions for depression should be taken and followed in these patients.

Investigating depression, anxiety, perceived stress and resilience in fathers faced with their spouse’s abortion in Iran: a longitudinal study

“…40% of them versus 11.2% in our study had a low income, and 11.4% of their subjects versus 21.6% in our study had more than two children. Also, the level of depression caused after curettage in their study was influenced by the job, social and private life, and physical health of mothers after induced abortion [ 31 ]. Although it did not examine the relationship between the fathers’ depression after induced abortion, it investigated some demographic factors examined in our study, and the relationship of them to the development of depression in fathers and mothers faced with abortion was discussed; due to smaller sample size and the difference in societies, different percentages of demographic factors have been obtained in the two studies.…”