De relatie tussen attributiestijl en psychisch welbevinden van mannen en vrouwen na abortus provocatus.

Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between attributional style and mental health in women who have had an induced abortion as well as in men of pregnant woman who had her pregnancy terminated. It was hypothesized that a negative relationship exists between internalization of the main reasons abortion and a general measure of current mental health. This was assessed through an internet survey which was completed by 147 women and 21 men. The results show no such relationship; however, they do show a small negative relationship between internalization of the main reason for abortion and experienced trauma, but only for women. This indicates that the more internal the main reason for women was to terminate their pregnancy, the lesser the trauma after the abortion. The explanation offered for this result is sought in the theory on locus of control; women who see the reason for their abortion as out of their control suffer from a higher degree of trauma than women who have more internal reasons (and therefore feel more in control of their own destiny). This study suggests that health care services should be more aware of women’s attributions of the reasons for their induced abortion, also as a means of detecting possible development of negative mental health outcomes afterwards.