| Since abortion is perceived as a highly stressful event that results in some level of distress for most women, it is important to understand the factors that increase distress (Adler, David, Major, Roth, Russo & Wyatt, 1990). The purpose of this study is to examine whether there is a relationship between perceived social stigma and a woman's subsequent level of distress recalled within the first month following an abortion. It also aims to discover whether there is a relationship between personal view of abortion and post-abortion distress recalled within the same time frame. The research hypotheses are as follows: (1) Levels of perceived social stigma will be positively correlated with post-abortion distress, such that high levels of stigma will be associated with high levels of distress recalled within the first month following an abortion. (2) Personal acceptance of abortion will be negatively correlated with post-abortion distress, such that low levels of personal acceptance of abortion will be associated with high levels of distress recalled within the first month following an abortion.;The study uses a correlational design. The three variables tested in this study are: (a) perceived social stigma measured with an altered version of the Stigmatization Scale (Harvey, 2001), (b) personal view of abortion measured with the Reasoning About Abortion Questionnaire (Parsons, Richards & Kanter, 1990), and (c) distress levels measured with the Impact of Events Scale (Horowitz, 1979). The findings of the study determined that perceived social stigma was found to be significantly correlated with post-abortion distress, while personal acceptance of abortion was not found to be significantly correlated with post-abortion distress. |
