Long-term incidence and recurrence of common mental disorders after abortion. A Dutch prospective cohort study

Ditzhuijzen, Jenneke van; Have, Margreet ten; Graaf, Ron de; Nijnatten, C.H.C.J. van; Vollebergh, Wilma

doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2018.04.001

Cited by 10 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…26 While some studies show that women may experience mental health problems following abortion, [27][28][29][30] others have challenged this. 31,32 In any case, support techniques for a more informed choice are needed. 33 This survey pointed to a significant minority of GPs who were not willing to prescribe abortion pills and/or did not feel that this service should be provided as part of general practice.…”

Section: Comparison With Existing Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Knowledge and attitudes of Irish GPs towards abortion following its legalisation: a cross-sectional study

et al. 2019

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BackgroundIn May 2018, the Irish Constitution was changed following a referendum allowing termination of pregnancy by abortion. It is envisaged that the majority of terminations will be by medical abortion and will take place in general practice before 12 weeks gestation.AimTo elicit attitudes and level of preparedness of Irish GPs to provide medical abortion services.Design & settingCross-sectional study of 222 GPs who were associated with the University of Limerick Graduate Entry Medical School (GEMS) and GP training programme.MethodAn anonymous online questionnaire was distributed via email. Reminders were sent 2 and 4 weeks later.ResultsThe response rate was 57.2% (n = 127/222). Of the responders, 105 (82.7%) had no training in this area, with only 4 (3.1%) indicating that they had sufficient training. Nearly all responders (n = 119, 93.7%) were willing to share abortion information with patients. Just under half of responders (n = 61, 48.0%) would be willing to prescribe abortion pills, with 47 (37.0%) unwilling to do so. Only 53 (41.7%) responders believed that provision of abortion services should be part of general practice, with 52 (40.9%) saying that it should not. As to whether doctors should be entitled to a conscientious objection but should also be obliged to refer the patient, 92 (72.4%) responders agreed. Over two-thirds of responders (n = 89, 70.1%) felt that necessary patient support services are not currently available.ConclusionThere is a lack of training and a considerable level of unwillingness to participate in this process among Irish GPs. There is also a perceived lack of patient support services for women experiencing unwanted pregnancy. It is incumbent upon state and professional bodies to address these issues.

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Section: Comparison With Existing Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Knowledge and attitudes of Irish GPs towards abortion following its legalisation: a cross-sectional study

et al. 2019

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“…While in most Western contexts, abortion rituals are not common, in a Swedish study, almost half of the women felt the need to ritualize the abortion experience, such as doing "something special" (Stålhandske et al 2012, p. 59) or "to mark the abortion as an event, end the process, become reconciled with the situation, let off steam, or ask for forgiveness" (Stålhandske et al 2012, p. 59). While most women feel relief after the abortion and decision rightness afterwards (Brauer et al 2019;Rocca et al 2020) and do not show long-term psychiatric symptoms (van Ditzhuijzen et al 2018), ritualizing might offer meaningful ways to put one's emotions into symbolic form before and after the abortion (Stalhandske 2009;Stalhandske et al 2011aStalhandske et al , 2011b. There is a group who experiences decision difficulty, which might be related to questions of meaning, such as "struggling between head and heart" and how women view the abortion (Brauer et al 2019(Brauer et al , p. 1987Halldén et al 2005Halldén et al , 2009.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ritualizing Abortion: A Qualitative Study on Ritual and Its Meanings in The Netherlands

2022

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The present study investigates ritualizing abortion in the Netherlands. Explorative, qualitative research was conducted with semi-structured interviews (n = 13) with women who looked for counseling and 43 online personal stories about the abortion from the website of a national care and expertise center. The results reveal three main categories of ritualizing: (1) creating and using symbols privately and online, (2) remembering or honoring the experience and (3) embodied ritualizing. The data reveal that respondents find meaning in the ritualizing through sharing the experience with others, expressing various feelings through symbolic and ritual forms, fostering a connection with the child-to-be, showing respect, seeking closure and transforming the experience in a meaningful way. This research reveals types of ritualizing practices in relation to a meaningful life event such as abortion. For a specific group of women experiencing decision difficulty or existential concerns in relation to the abortion, ritualizing might be an interesting tool to be incorporated into post-abortion care practices.

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“…Several research studies have presented evidence of a link between abortion and adverse mental health outcomes, but such a link may not be significant after adjusting for individual and social factors that themselves affect mental health. Examples of these factors are current relationship status and stability, intimate partner violence, social support, socioeconomic status, concurrent substance abuse, childhood attachment, and a history of abuse or neglect in childhood [ 13 , 14 ]. Moreover, the relationship between mental health, unplanned pregnancy, and abortion is not unidirectional.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Relationship Between Access to Abortion and Mental Health in Women of Childbearing Age: Analyses of Data From the Global Burden of Disease Studies

Rajkumar¹

2022

Cureus

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Background It has often been suggested that restricting access to legal abortion could have a negative impact on the mental health of women seeking this procedure. The recent judgment of the United States Supreme Court in the Dobbs case has brought the question of the psychological impact of changes in abortion policy into focus. The results of studies on the link between induced abortion and mental health are contradictory, and interpreting the results of these studies is complex due to a multitude of potential confounding factors. However, there is little data on the relationship between the availability of legal abortion and its effects on the mental health of women of childbearing age in the general population. Objective The objective of the current study was to examine cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between access to legal abortion and the prevalence of common mental disorders in women of childbearing age at a cross-national level while correcting for potential confounding factors. Methods The current study employs both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses of nation-level data for 197 countries and regions. As data on global abortion policy were compiled in 2009 and 2017 by the Guttmacher Institute, data on access to legal abortion for these years were examined in relation to the prevalence of anxiety disorders and depression in women of childbearing age for each country, obtained from the Global Burden of Disease Studies for the most recent subsequent year (2010 and 2019). The relationship between changes in abortion policy and changes in the prevalence of these disorders in each country was examined for the aforementioned period. All analyses were adjusted for the potential confounding effects of gender development, gender inequality, and intimate partner violence. Cross-sectional associations were examined using Pearson's bivariate and partial correlations, while longitudinal associations were examined using a general linear model and analyses of covariance. Results At the cross-sectional level, broad legal access to abortion was associated with a lower prevalence of depression in women aged 25-49 years, however, this association was not significant after correcting for measures of gender development, gender inequality, and intimate partner violence. At the longitudinal level, a slight but significant decrease in the prevalence of anxiety disorders in women aged 25-49 years was observed in countries where access to legal abortion was broadened in the period 2009-2017. This association remained marginally significant after adjustment for the above confounders. Conclusions The current study suggests that there is a modest relationship between access to legal abortion and its effects on the mental health of women aged 25-49 years. However, this relationship appears to be largely indirect in nature and influenced by factors, such as gender development, gender inequality, and intimate pa...

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Long-term incidence and recurrence of common mental disorders after abortion. A Dutch prospective cohort study

Cited by 10 publications

References 23 publications

Knowledge and attitudes of Irish GPs towards abortion following its legalisation: a cross-sectional study

Knowledge and attitudes of Irish GPs towards abortion following its legalisation: a cross-sectional study

Ritualizing Abortion: A Qualitative Study on Ritual and Its Meanings in The Netherlands

The Relationship Between Access to Abortion and Mental Health in Women of Childbearing Age: Analyses of Data From the Global Burden of Disease Studies

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