Skip to content
← Back to Issue

The effect of induced legal abortions on anxietylevels before and after the procedure

The effect of abortion on anxiety

Original Research • doi:10.4328/JCAM.5800 • Published: January 1, 2019 • Ann Clin Anal Med 2019;10(1):10-15

Authors

Sule Ozel1, Yaprak Engin Ustun1, Rifat Taner Aksoy1, Hatice Kansu Celik1, Rabia Nazik Yuksel2, Bugra Coskun1, Salim Erkaya1
Affiliations

1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Zekai Tahir Burak Woman’s Health, Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Türkiye.

2Department of Psychiatry, Ankara Numune Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Türkiye.

Corresponding Author

Hatice Kansu Celik

h_kansu@yahoo.com

+90 312 312 49 31

Abstract

AimThe aim of this study was to investigate the effect of abortion procedure on psychological status of women.
MethodA total of 193 women seeking an elective abortion in legal 10 weeks gestational age interval were included in this prospective study. State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Scale (STAI) was performed twice; one is half an hour before the induced abortion and the other 10 days after the abortion. State anxiety (S-Anxiety) can be determined as discomfort, fear etc. Trait anxiety (T-anxiety) can be determined as a tendency to feel worried and discomfort.
ResultsS and T-Anxiety scores of cases showed statistical significant decrease after abortion (p = 0.000, p = 0.037 respectively). 65.3% of women had post-abortion T-anxiety scale score above 43 points (cut off for severe anxiety). Higher education levels are associated with lower pre and post-abortion T- Anxiety levels (p=0.000, p=0.003). Higher educated women were less likely to be at the risk of preabortion trait anxiety score above 43 points (OR 0.55, CI=0,5–1.14) and women with higher income were more likely to be at the risk of post-abortion State Anxiety Score above 43 point (OR 2.5, CI=0.94-0.42).
ConclusionAnxiety scores are altered after induced legal abortions. Women who are admitted to gynecology clinics for an induced abortion should be monitored closely for psychological symptoms, and education about contraception should be given to all of the women in reproductive ages.

Keywords

induced abortion anxiety disorders contraception family planning

Declarations

Additional Information

Publisher’s Note
Bayrakol MP remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional and institutional claims.

Rights and Permissions

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0). To view a copy of the license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

View full license details →

About This Article

How to Cite This Article

Sule Ozel, Yaprak Engin Ustun, Rifat Taner Aksoy, Hatice Kansu Celik, Rabia Nazik Yuksel, Bugra Coskun, Salim Erkaya. The effect of induced legal abortions on anxietylevels before and after the procedure. Ann Clin Anal Med 2019;10(1):10-15. doi:10.4328/JCAM.5800

Received:
March 6, 2018
Accepted:
May 17, 2018
Published Online:
May 22, 2018
Printed:
January 1, 2019