Kabunga Amir, Acanga Alfred, Akello Abal Judith, Kambugu Nabasirye Caroline, Namata Halimah, Mwesigwa David, Grace Auma Anna, Kigongo Eustes, Udho Samson
Department of Psychiatry, Lira University, Lira, Uganda.
Department of Public Administration and Management, Lira University, Lira, Uganda.
Open Access J Contracept. 2023 Apr 20;14:73-82. doi: 10.2147/OAJC.S407547. eCollection 2023.
More than half of pregnancies in Uganda are unintended, and nearly a third of these end in abortion. However, little research has focused on women living with HIV's subjective experiences following induced abortion. We explored how women living with HIV subjectively experience induced abortions in health facilities in Lira District, Uganda.
This was a descriptive-phenomenological study between October and November 2022. The study was conducted among women of reproductive age (15-49 years) who were HIV positive and had undergone induced abortion following an unintended pregnancy. Purposive sampling was used to sample 30 participants who could speak to the research aims and have experience with the phenomenon under scrutiny. The principle of information power was used to estimate the sample size. We conducted face-to-face, in-depth interviews to collect data. Data were presented as direct quotes while providing a contextual understanding of the lived experiences of the study participants.
The results showed that the major causes of induced abortion were financial constraints, concern for the unborn babies, unplanned pregnancy, and complex relationships. Regarding induced abortion-related experiences, three themes emerged: loss of family support, internalized and perceived stigma, and feelings of guilt and regret.
This study highlights the lived experiences of women living with HIV following an induced abortion. The study shows that women living with HIV had induced abortions due to numerous reasons, including financial concerns, complicated relationships, and a fear of infecting their unborn babies. However, after induced abortion, the women living with HIV faced several challenges like loss of family support, stigma, and feelings of guilt and regret. Based on HIV-infected women who underwent induced abortion and an unexpected pregnancy, they may need mental health services to reduce the stigma associated with induced abortion.
乌干达超过一半的怀孕是意外怀孕，其中近三分之一以堕胎告终。然而，很少有研究关注感染艾滋病毒的女性在人工流产后的主观体验。我们探讨了乌干达利拉区卫生设施中感染艾滋病毒的女性如何主观体验人工流产。
这是一项于2022年10月至11月进行的描述性现象学研究。该研究在15至49岁的育龄艾滋病毒阳性女性中进行，这些女性在意外怀孕后接受了人工流产。采用目的抽样法抽取了30名能够阐述研究目的并对所研究现象有相关经历的参与者。使用信息权原则来估计样本量。我们通过面对面的深入访谈来收集数据。数据以直接引语呈现，同时对研究参与者的生活经历进行背景解读。
结果表明，人工流产的主要原因是经济困难、对未出生婴儿的担忧、意外怀孕以及复杂的关系。关于人工流产相关经历，出现了三个主题：家庭支持的丧失、内化和感知到的耻辱感以及内疚和悔恨的情绪。
本研究突出了感染艾滋病毒的女性在人工流产后的生活经历。研究表明，感染艾滋病毒的女性进行人工流产有多种原因，包括经济担忧、复杂的关系以及担心感染未出生的婴儿。然而，人工流产后，感染艾滋病毒的女性面临着一些挑战，如家庭支持的丧失、耻辱感以及内疚和悔恨的情绪。基于接受人工流产和意外怀孕的艾滋病毒感染女性，她们可能需要心理健康服务来减少与人工流产相关的耻辱感。
