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  • Title: Psychological factors that predict reaction to abortion.
    Author: Moseley DT, Follingstad DR, Harley H, Heckel RV.
    Journal: J Clin Psychol; 1981 Apr; 37(2):276-9. PubMed ID: 7229063.
    Abstract:
    Investigated demographic and psychological factors related to positive or negative reactions to legal abortions performed during the first trimester of pregnancy in 62 females in an urban southern community. Results suggest that the social context and the degree of support from a series of significant persons rather than demographic variables were most predictive of a positive reaction. Investigates the value of demographic, social and psychological variables in predicting women's reaction to legal abortions. Subjects were 62 women between 14 and 35 years of age obtaining elective legal abortions in an urban southern area of the U. S. during their first trimester of pregnancy. All underwent suction curretage on an outpatient basis. Pre- and postabortion questionnaires were administered. The following measures were used: Multiple Affective Adjective Checklist (MAACL) scales--anxiety, depression, and hostility (given pre and post); Rotter Locus of Control Scale (pre); an 18 item questionnaire, the Personal Reaction Questionnaire (PRQ), designed to differentiate between the traditional and liberated female in terms of perceived values and role expectations; and 19 questions about abortion-related interpersonal experiences and attitudes. T-tests were performed on the pre and post scores on the 3 MAACL scales and Pearson r was used on all measures. In general, the social context and the degree of emotional support that women received from a series of significant persons were more predictive of reactions to abortion than were demographic variables. Higher levels of anxiety, depression, and hostility were associated with opposition to the abortion from others. However, support from one significant person (partner in contraception, parent, friend) was sufficient to mitigate the effect of opposition from another. Despite higher scores on pre- and postabortion hostility, women who made their own decision to abort revealed less difficulty in making the decision. The apparent contradiction may be due to the use of hostility as a defense against guilt.
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