263407 Happiness, guilt, regret and relief: Women's emotional responses to unintended pregnancy, abortion, and being denied an abortion

Tuesday, October 30, 2012 : 10:50 AM - 11:10 AM

Corinne Rocca, PhD, MPH , Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health, Department of Ob/Gyn, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
Heather Gould, MPH , Bixby Center for Reproductive Health Research and Policy, University of California, San Francisco, Oakland, CA
Katrina Kimport, PhD , ANSIRH, Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health, Department of Ob/Gyn, University of California, San Francisco, Oakland, CA
Sarah C. M. Roberts, DrPH , Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health, Dept. of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, Oakland, CA
Diana Greene Foster, PhD , Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health, Department of Ob/Gyn, University of California, San Francisco, Oakland, CA
Anecdotal reports that many women experience lasting psychological and emotional sequelae from abortion form the basis for abortion regulation in the US. Using data from a prospective study of 956 women seeking abortion, we compare the emotional responses of women obtaining an abortion close to clinics' gestational age limit (Abortion, n=452) to women who were denied an abortion because they were beyond the limit (Turnaway, n=182). Emotions were examined using Likert scales one week following the abortion or denial of abortion. Differences in emotions between groups, and factors associated with negative emotions, were assessed using regression analyses, accounting for clustered data. Women in both groups expressed a range of positive and negative emotions. Relief was the most felt emotion among women who had abortions (90%). Two-thirds of women obtaining an abortion felt guilt, and one-third felt regret. Turnaways felt more regret (OR=1.6, p≤0.01) and anger (OR=1.8, p≤0.001) and less relief (OR=0.1, p≤0.001) and happiness (OR=0.7, p<0.05) than those in the Abortion group; however they felt less guilt (OR=0.3, p≤0.001). One week after seeking abortion, 97% of women who obtained an abortion felt that abortion was the right decision; 65% of Turnaways still wished they had been able to obtain an abortion. Factors associated with negative emotions one week after an abortion were higher pre-pregnancy intention, difficulty deciding to seek abortion, perceived community stigma, and lower social support. Results suggest that restricting access to abortion among women with unintended pregnancies would not reduce experience of negative emotions.

Learning Areas:
Advocacy for health and health education
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Describe the broad range of positive and negative emotions felt by women with unintended pregnancies who obtain an abortion or are denied an abortion Demonstrate that women obtaining abortions are less likely to experience negative emotional responses – and more likely to experience positive emotions – compared to those who are denied an abortion

Keywords: Abortion, Reproductive Health Research

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have over a decade of experience conducting research on women’s reproductive health, family planning and contraceptive use. My research has focused on topics including emergency contraception, gender-based power and domestic violence, the measurement and meaning of pregnancy intentions, and abortion seeking behaviors of women in Nepal. I hold a PhD in Epidemiology and an MPH in Population and Family Health.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4142.0: Pivotal research on denial of abortion care: UCSF turnaway studies, part 1