Persistent Emotional Distress after Abortion in the United States

Contrasting results have suggested that the prevalence and intensity of post abortion emotional distress (PAD) either diminishes rapidly or persists over time. Few studies have followed women for longer than five years. This study examines the question using retrospective representative data ( n = 226) on ever aborting U.S. women aged 41-45, at an average of 20 years following the abortion. A total of 44.8% of post-abortive women reported moderate (20.7%) to high (24.1%) PAD related to their abortion(s), including “frequent feelings of loss, grief or sadness” (31.2%); and “frequent thoughts, dreams, or flashbacks” (24.6%). Time since the abortion (mean 20 years, range 0-31 years) was not correlated with PAD (r = -.02, p .71). PAD did not diminish but persisted for decades. As of 2022 an estimated 14 million U.S. women experienced PAD, 7.5 million of them severely so. These results indicate that, as a therapeutic strategy for resolving stress associated with undesired pregnancies, induced abortion was often unsuccessful. Further research to specify risk factors and possible interventions for postabortion distress would be valuable for this group of women.