Induced abortion is an important aspect of sexual and reproductive health,
with potentially negative impact on physical and emotional health of women.
The aim of this paper is to investigate the presence of abortion in our
society, characteristics of women who had induced abortion and its impact on
mental health. The results presented in this paper are part of the bigger
study "Health Status, Health Needs and Utilization of Health Services", which
was carried out in Republic of Srpska during 2010. Survey covered 1042 women
age from 18 to 49. A standardized set of instruments in the field of
sexual-reproductive and mental health (NHS, EUROHIS, ECHIM) was applied.
Results indicate that 28.8 % of women had induced abortion, while nearly half
of them (48.2%) had more than one abortion in their life. Induced abortion is
more common among women over 38 years who already have children (97.1%) and
live in rural parts of country (61.7%). Abortion is mostly preferred method
of birth control among married woman (88.6%), woman with secondary school
(64.5%), but is equally present among employed or unemployed woman and
housewife's (around 1/3). There was a statistically significant but low
correlation between current life satisfaction, mental health and induced
abortion (F=8.0, p=0.000; Wilks' lambda =0.97; partial Eta-squared=0.03).
More precisely, women who have had abortions have expressed higher levels of
stress, lower levels of vitality, and were less satisfied with present life
compared to those who did not have an abortion. High rates of induced
abortion are present in Balkans countries for a long time (Rasevic, 1994: 86;
Rasevic, 2011: 3). Higher rates of abortion, compared to the European Union
and western neighbors, raises the question of presence of "abortion culture"
(Rasevic and Sedlecki, 2011: 4). Abortion culture is the conse-quence of
frequent use of traditional method of contraception (coitus interruptus) in
combination with low availability of counseling and family planning. Lot of
scientific rigorous studies indicate a specific connection between abortion
and mental health without supporting attitudes which claim that abortion has
a strong impact on mental health (Coleman, 2011: 183), as well as attitudes
that deny any effect of abortion on mental health (APA, 2008). The results
point the importance of promoting greater sexual-reproductive rights, free
and responsible family planning and greater availability of contraceptives as
safer methods of birth control.
Acceptance of family planning methods by induced abortion seekers: An observational study over five years