Predictors of personal growth in induced abortion.

Abstract

Knowledge about the psychological experience in induced abortion remains limited. Studies have been biased towards negative consequences. A descriptive and prospective study was conducted. Participants were 338 adult women who came to have an induced abortion in authorized centers of Las Palmas (Spain). A large proportion of women reflected moderate to very high personal growth at all measurement times (from 64.79% to 76.36%), with statistically significant increases. The perception of social support explained most of the variance in the cross-sectional prediction of personal growth, both at the time of the abortion and in the follow-up one month later. The variables that predicted growth longitudinally were: greater perception of the abortion as a turning point in their lives, lower level of academic education, greater frequency of thoughts about abortion one month later, lower frequency of thoughts about abortion six months later, and greater perceived social support one month later. The perception of personal growth is part of the psychological experience of abortion. This finding invites us to broaden the traditional focus on the psychological effects of induced abortion, to also include the positive outcomes.