Study of anxiety during consultation and assessment for termination of pregnancy

Study of anxiety during consultation and assessment for

termination of pregnancy

B.A. Gbolade

Fertility Control Unit, St. James’s University Hospital,

Leeds, UK

Introduction: Studies have been conducted on the anxiety

levels of women pre and post abortion showing that stress levels during these

periods vary remarkably. However, we found no published studies stress levels

during consultation for termination of pregnancy in the English Literature.

Anxiety during consultation and assessment for termination of pregnancy may

adversely affect patients’ assimilation and understanding of information with

a consequent adverse effect on their ability to choose a particular method of

termination.

Aims and Methods: To ascertain the state anxiety levels

of women, during consultation for termination of pregnancy. Over a four-week

period, women requesting termination of pregnancy who were willing to

participate in the study filled a six-item short-form of the State-Trait Anxiety

inventory (STAI-6) scale. Demographic data was also obtained for each

participant.

Results: Forty-one women took part in the pilot study.

Majority of the participants were single and aged less than 25 years. The state

anxiety scores for the cohort of women ranged from 23 to 80 with a mean of 46.5.

Eighty-five percent of the participants had high anxiety levels during

consultations.

Conclusions: Although this is only a pilot study, it

shows that a highly significant proportion of women requesting termination of

pregnancy endure a high level of stress during the consultation process. As this

can affect their ability to assimilate information during the consultation, it

is important that providers are aware of this phenomenon and take adequate steps

to minimise it.

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