"It has been a long journey from first knowing": narratives of unplanned pregnancy

Complex journeys of adolescents after induced abortion: A qualitative systematic review

PROBLEM

Adolescents face unique challenges in accessing sexual healthcare, particularly regarding induced abortion experiences. Prior research, often quantitative or biased towards young adults, overlooks this. This review aims to address adolescents' specific post-abortion experiences to inform comprehensive reproductive healthcare needs.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Qualitative and mixed-methods studies exploring the experiences of adolescents following induced abortion were included. Studies reporting these experiences from third-person perspectives were excluded.

SAMPLE

Five electronic databases (CINAHL, PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Embase) were searched from the databases' inception through March 2024. Of the 2834 articles retrieved, 45 studies were included in this review.

RESULTS

Using a meta-synthesis approach combining Sandelowski & Barroso's qualitative metasummary with Braun & Clarke's thematic analysis, three main themes emerged: Post-abortion experiences and emotions, Social dynamics and support, and Life post-abortion and future perspectives.

CONCLUSIONS

Adolescents who underwent abortion faced physical and emotional challenges, adopted various coping strategies, and had mixed experiences with social support and healthcare providers. To address these challenges, the provision of comprehensive reproductive health information, access to safe and legal abortion options, and support for their physical, social, and emotional well-being is necessary. Healthcare providers must ensure that adolescents are equipped with necessary skills to navigate their reproductive health journeys with informed choices and confidence.

IMPLICATIONS

Future research exploring adolescents' experiences, considering cultural beliefs, involving multiple stakeholders, and conducting longitudinal studies, is warranted. Healthcare providers should implement practice changes, including providing accurate information, offering tailored mental health support, and undergoing adolescent-friendly training, to enhance care for adolescents.

The experience of and coping with an induced abortion: A rapid review

This rapid review was conducted to determine the scientific evidence available on how women experience induced abortion and how they cope with the subjective experience thereof. The aim of this review was to systematically explore and synthesise scientific evidence on how women experience and cope with induced abortion. The guidelines of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence were used as a framework to review current international and national literature. The researchers made use of Ebsco Discovery Service to search for relevant studies. This was done by employing key concepts and related synonyms. Eleven relevant studies were identified. As the study was exploratory in nature, covering a relatively small selection of studies, heterogeneous in methodology and cultural focus, only a few general trends were highlighted. Not much information was found for women in the South African context. The study found that socio-economic disadvantages and premorbid relationships are important factors that should be better researched, understood and managed in a South African context. Despite many studies on how women experience and cope with induced abortion, the review revealed the need for research related to specific challenges and experiences of South African women.

Intersectional discourses of reproductive agency in the Philippines: A mixed methods analysis of classed constructions of pregnancy resolution

Women negotiate gendered discourses of reproductive agency in resolving unplanned pregnancies. Invoking an intersectional lens, this paper examines how these discursive dynamics differentiate across social class in the Global South context of the Philippines. Utilizing a novel mixed methods strategy, we triangulate quantitative findings from a Q sort task and qualitative accounts of pregnancy resolution to identify classed discourses of reproductive agency as (a) reclaiming maternal virtue and (b) asserting autonomous choice. Statistical analysis reveals significant discursive divergence across class, wherein working-class women primarily adopt maternal virtue discourses while middle-class women disproportionately subscribe to autonomous choice. Interpretative analysis of women’s accounts complicates this bifurcated characterization by surfacing the diverse ways by which women negotiate both discourses in narratives of abortion and carrying to term. We discuss our contributions to the literature in terms of multilevel theoretical engagement with classed complexity in gendered issues like reproductive agency as well as innovating mixed methods in intersectional research. We conclude with reflections on advancing reproductive justice, especially in Global South societies like the Philippines.

Understanding women's stories about drinking: implications for health interventions

Alcohol consumption poses significant health and safety risks to women. Understanding why women drink and how they experience drinking is the first step in creating efficacious interventions and effective social support programs. Presented here is a qualitative study examining stories women told about drinking on a blog: drinkingdiariesk.com. Eighty-nine stories categorized as 'in-depth, personal and insightful essays' were analysed and four narratives were identified about women's drinking in different stages in their lives: youth (narrative of good girl and narrative of bad girl), adulthood (narrative of pleasure) and old age (narrative of sin). Women constructed their relationships with alcohol in these different life stages, conforming to or rebelling against traditional gender roles. The narratives about drinking among young women and older women were inflicted with adultism and ageism. Practically, this study pointed out the specific stereotypes surrounding younger and older women with a drinking problem, which could inform future intervention campaigns about women's drinking.