Examining Abortion-Related Stigma among International Students Studying in Northern Cyprus

Objective: The aim of this study is to examine the abortion-related stigma among international students studying in Northern Cyprus. Materials and Methods: This study is a descriptive and cross-sectional type of research. The population of the research consisted of international university students studying in Northern Cyprus between 30.08.2021 and 13.04.2022. The Sample size of this study consisted of 272 university students. The Data of the research were collected using a web-based online and face-to face survey that was prepared the student information form, and the Stigmatizing Attitudes, Beliefs, and Actions Scale (SABAS). In this study data was used the descriptive statistics tests and Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Kruskal-Wallis H test, and Mann-Whitney U test. Results: It was determined that 28% of international students are 18-20 years old, 50% of them are female, 87.5% of them are from Africa, and 56% of them are Christian. In this study, it was found that the students used condoms the most and 13.0% of the them had abortion. They take average 34,98±14,16 points from total score of SABAS. In the study, there are a statistically significant difference between department, gender, and the total points of SABAS. Conclusion: The abortion stigma of international students was found low. In this direction, it is recommended to improve sexual and reproductive health services in universities.