These tools will no longer be maintained as of December 31, 2024. Archived website can be found here. PubMed4Hh GitHub repository can be found here. Contact NLM Customer Service if you have questions.


Pubmed for Handhelds

PUBMED FOR HANDHELDS

Search MEDLINE/PubMed

  • Title: Single and repeated elective abortions in Japan: a psychosocial study.
    Author: Kitamura T, Toda MA, Shima S, Sugawara M.
    Journal: J Psychosom Obstet Gynaecol; 1998 Sep; 19(3):126-34. PubMed ID: 9844843.
    Abstract:
    Despite its social, legal and medical importance, termination of pregnancy (TOP) (induced abortion) has rarely been the focus of psychosocial research. Of a total of 1329 women who consecutively attended the antenatal clinic of a general hospital in Japan, 635 were expecting their first baby. Of these 635 women, 103 (16.2%) had experienced TOP once previously (first aborters), while 47 (7.4%) had experienced TOP two or more times (repeated aborters). Discriminant function analysis was performed using psychosocial variables found to be significantly associated with either first abortion or repeated abortion in bivariate analyses. This revealed that both first and repeated aborters could be predicted by smoking habits and an unwanted current pregnancy while the repeated aborters appear to differ from first aborters in having a longer pre-marital dating period, non-arranged marriages, smoking habits, early maternal loss experience or a low level of maternal care during childhood. These findings suggest that both the frequency of abortion and its repetition have psychosocial origins. A psychosocial study was performed to identify aspects of life history, obstetric history, health behavior, marriage, and other psychosocial variables in relation to termination of pregnancy (TOP) among 1329 women in Kawasaki, Japan. Respondents were given a set of questionnaires in early pregnancy except for the Parental Bonding Instrument, which was completed during mid-pregnancy. Of the 1329 women who consecutively attended the antenatal clinic, 635 were expecting their first baby. Of these 635 women, 103 (16.2%) had experienced TOP once in the past; 47 (7.4%) were repeated aborters. The discriminant function analysis performed using psychosocial variables was found to be significantly associated with either first abortion or repeated abortion in the bivariate analysis. This showed that the frequency of abortion of the first aborters could be predicted by health behavior, as well as a negative attitude towards pregnancy; repetition of induced abortion could be predicted by the characteristics of the current marriage and insufficient care given by the subject's mother during childhood, smoking habits, having a longer premarital dating period, and nonarranged marriage. In conclusion, the study suggests that TOP has psychosocial origins.
    [Abstract] [Full Text] [Related] [New Search]