Prevalence and Psychological Effects of Abortion

Abstract

This review intends to provide a brief data about the Prevalence and Psychological Effects of Abortion. The data were collected from different articles, journals, guidelines and related published materials. Emerging data report 30% of women worldwide who practiced abortion experience negative and persistent psychological distress afterward. It is estimated that there are 3.27 million pregnancies in Ethiopia every year, of which approximately 500,000 end in either spontaneous or unsafely induced abortion. Reasons for seeking abortion are socioeconomic concerns (including poverty, lack of support from the partner, and disruption of education or employment); family-building preferences (including the need to postpone childbearing or achieve a healthy spacing between births); relationship problems with the husband or partner; risks to maternal or fetal health; and pregnancy resulting from rape or incest; poor access to contraceptives and contraceptive failure. Smoking, drug abuse, eating disorder, depression, anxiety disorders, attempted suicide, guilt, regret, nightmare, decreased self-esteem, and worry about not being able to conceive again were the psychological consequences of abortion.