Differential impact of abortion on adolescents and adults.

The purpose of this study was to compare adolescent and adult reactions to abortion. A sample of 252 women from 42 states was obtained from a national survey of organizations serving as support groups for women who have had negative reactions to abortion. The age analysis was run using t-tests. Results indicated that the adolescents were significantly more likely to be dissatisfied with the choice of abortion than were the older subjects, to have abortions later in the gestational period, to be dissatisfied with services at the time of the abortion, to feel forced by circumstances to have the abortion, to report being misinformed at the time of the abortion, and to report greater severity of psychological stress. The conclusions suggest that the adolescents' problems may be due to a combination of developmental limitations and the nature of counseling at the time of the abortion.