This project explored psychological wellbeing following abortion through both a systematic review and an original research study. The aim was to better understand people’s psychological experiences after abortion and identify factors that may contribute to psychological distress.
The systematic review examined existing research on mental health outcomes following abortion. Abortion is a common medical procedure, but discussions about it are often highly polarised, and less is known about psychological well-being afterwards. After searching five databases, the review included 51 studies involving populations from multiple countries. Overall, the findings suggested that most people do not experience mental health difficulties following abortion, particularly in studies that were considered high quality and accounted for previous mental health difficulties. However, some individuals did report psychological distress, showing that experiences can vary. The review highlighted the need for more high-quality research in this area, including studies that take into consideration pre-existing mental health difficulties and use appropriate comparison groups.
The varied findings in existing research highlight that although many people do not experience psychological distress after an abortion, some people do. Therefore, the aim of the empirical study was to explore factors that may contribute to psychological distress post abortion. The study focused on the relationship between shame and post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) following abortion, and whether faith or social support influenced this relationship. The findings showed that higher levels of shame were linked to greater PTSS. Faith and social support did not significantly affect this relationship. These results suggest that shame may be an important factor in psychological distress after an abortion and should be considered in psychological assessment and intervention.
Overall, this project contributes to further understanding psychological experiences following an abortion and highlights the importance of recognising individual differences within services.
