Abstract
Introduction Diagnosis of fetal anomaly and the difficult circumstances involved in the decision to terminate an affected pregnancy can go along with severe psychological distress. However, little is known about womenʼs help-seeking for emotional problems following an abortion after diagnosis of fetal anomaly. Methods 148 women who had been treated for abortion after diagnosis of fetal anomaly at the University Hospital Leipzig responded to self-report questionnaires 1 to 7 years after the event. Main outcomes were help-seeking intentions and actual help-seeking behavior. Logistic regression was used to explore the associations between participantsʼ sociodemographic characteristics and help-seeking intentions. Results Most women reported that they would seek help from their partner (91.7%), friends/family (82.8%) or the internet (62.2%). With regard to health services, 50.0% of women would seek help from gynecologists and between 43.8 and 47.9% from counseling services and mental health professionals. Intentions to seek help from support groups were lowest (21.7%). Age, income, region, and religion were associated with help-seeking intentions. Among participants with elevated levels of current psychological distress, 23.8% indicated that they had not discussed their emotional problems with a health service ever. Conclusion Gynecologists are among the most preferred health professionals for women to discuss psychological problems in the aftermath of an abortion after diagnosis of fetal anomaly. They should be actively involved in screening, diagnostic assessment, and referral of affected women.
Highlights
Diagnosis of fetal anomaly and the difficult circumstances involved in the decision to terminate an affected pregnancy can go along with severe psychological distress
There is a lack of systematic investigations of womens preferred help sources for emotional support following an abortion after diagnosis of fetal anomaly, such studies could enable health professionals to prepare for contact with affected women
A total of 395 women who had had an abortion after diagnosis of fetal anomaly between September 2008 and January 2015 were identified to be eligible for study inclusion
Summary
A total of 395 women who had had an abortion after diagnosis of fetal anomaly between September 2008 and January 2015 were identified to be eligible for study inclusion. Regarding intentions to seek help from health services, most women (50 %, 95 % CI: 41.9–58.1) indicated that they would contact their gynecologist in case of emotional problems. ▶ Table 3 presents the distribution of help-seeking intentions and actual help-seeking from health services among the subgroup of women experiencing current high psychological distress. While 33.3 % (95 % CI: 20–49.6) of women reported they would seek help from a support group, only 14.3 % (95 % CI: 5.9–29.2) had done so (p = 0.039). Responses indicated that about a quarter of the highly distressed women (23.8 %, 95 % CI: 12.6–39.8) had never contacted a health service due to emotional problems related to the abortion. Results of the logistic regression models exploring the associations between womens sociodemographic characteristics and help-seeking intentions are presented in ▶ Table 4. Additional health services as free text responses were indicated by 7.6 % (95 % CI: 3.4–15.6) of participants and included “other affected
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