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Psychosocial Consequences of Therapeutic Abortion King's Termination Study III

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

H. Steven Greer ,
Shirley Lal ,
Stella C. Lewis ,
Elizabeth M. Belsey  and
Richard W. Beard
H. Steven Greer
Affiliation:
Department of Psychological Medicine, King's College Hospital, London, S.E.5
Shirley Lal
Affiliation:
King's College Hospital, London, S.E.5
Stella C. Lewis
Affiliation:
King's College Hospital, London, S.E.5
Elizabeth M. Belsey
Affiliation:
Department of Community Medicine, St. Thomas's Hospital Medical School, London SE1 7EH
Richard W. Beard
Affiliation:
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, King's College Hospital; now Professor, St. Mary's Hospital Medical School, London, W2 1PG
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Summary

A follow-up study is reported of a consecutive series of 360 women who underwent termination of first trimester pregnancies by vacuum aspiration. Each patient received brief counselling before termination. Follow-up examinations were carried out by means of detailed, structured interviews at three months and between 15 months and two years (mean: 18 months) after termination. Outcome was assessed in terms of psychiatric symptoms, guilt feelings, and adjustment in marital and other interpersonal relationships, sexual responsiveness and work record. Compared with ratings of psychosocial adjustment before termination, significant improvement had occurred at follow-up in respect of psychiatric symptoms, guilt feelings and interpersonal and sexual adjustment; there was no significant change in marital adjustment. Adverse psychiatric and social sequelae were rare.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 128 , Issue 1 , January 1976 , pp. 74 - 79
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1976 

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References

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