Introduction/Aim. Induced termination of unwanted pregnancy after 12th
gestational week (late-term abortion) is legally restricted in Serbia as well
as in many other countries. On the other hand, unwanted pregnancy very often
brings women into the state of personal crisis. Psychiatric indications for
legally approved late-term abortion on women?s demand include only severe
psychiatric disorders. The aim of this paper was to compare sociodemographic,
psychological characteristics and claimed reasons for abortion in the two
groups of women with late-term demand for abortion - the group of women
satisfying legally prescribed mental health indications, and the group of
women not satisfying these indications. The aim of the study was also to
determine predictive validity of the abovementioned parameters for late-term
abortion as the outcome of unwanted pregnancy. Methods. A total of 62
pregnant women with demand for late-term abortion were divided into two
groups according to the criteria of satisfying or not satisfying legally
proposed psychiatric indications for late-term abortion after psychiatric
evaluation. For the assessment of sociodemographic and psychological
parameters sociodemographic questionnaire and symptom checklist - 90 revised
(SCL-90?) scale were used, respectively. The outcome of unwanted pregnancy
was followed 6 months after the initial assessment. Results. The obtained
results showed a statistically significant difference between the groups in
educational level, satisfaction with financial situation, elevated anxiety
and distress reactions. Unfavorable social circumstances were the main reason
for an abortion in both groups and were predictive for an abortion. A 6-month
follow-up showed that women had abortion despite legal restrictions.
Conclusion. Pregnant women with psychiatric indication for late-term abortion
belong to lower socioeconomic and educational level group compared to women
without this indication who have more frequently elevated anxiety and
distress reactions to unwanted pregnancy. It is necessary to have more
accurate guidelines for mental health indications for legally approved
late-term abortion, respecting social circumstances. Preventive measures are
of great importance in order to lower the risk of illegally performed
late-term abortions.