A Cross-Sectional Study of the Psychosocial Problems Following Abortion

BACKGROUND: Twenty percent of pregnant women undergo an abortion. Reviews of previous studies on the effects of abortion on mental health have been inconclusive. Little research has been carried out in this direction in our country. AIMS: This study aims to study the psychological effects of abortions and the associated sociodemographic and other parameters. SETTING AND DESIGN: It is a cross-sectional study, conducted in five different government hospitals of Hyderabad. MATERIALS AND METHODS: After identifying the participants, an interview was conducted. First, sociodemographic and other parameters were collected by an interviewer. Then, another interviewer conducted the interview using diagnostic tools (Impact of Events Scale-Revised [IES-R] and Goldberg Health Questionnaire-12 [GHQ-12]). Analysis was carried out using SPSS software. RESULTS: Sixty cases of spontaneous abortion, 31 therapeutic and 9 elective abortions, were collected. Overall, on GHQ-12, 57% women had no distress, 11% had typical distress, while 14% had more than typical distress, 15% had psychological distress, and 3% of them had severe distress. On IES-R, 16% women had little or no symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder PTSD, 57% had several symptoms, while 27% of them were likely to have PTSD. CONCLUSIONS: Women who underwent elective abortion showed less distress than the other types. Those that underwent a late abortion were more likely to suffer from psychological distress than those having an early one. The medical history was a significant factor in determining the mental health outcome of the women who underwent abortion.