The prevalence of perceived stress and depression in women facing abortion and related obstetric and non-obstetric risk factors: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND

Available studies have limitations in identifying risk factors after abortion. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the prevalence of perceived stress and depression in women facing abortion and to identify related obstetric and non-obstetric risk factors.

METHOD: This is a cross-sectional study that conducted from October 2023 to March 2024, involving 250 women seeking first-trimester abortions who visited the obstetrics emergency department at Amol hospitals. After obtaining informed consent, a questionnaire that includes demographic characteristics, perceived stress scale, Patient Health Questionnaire- 4, domestic violence questionnaire, 6-question marriage quality questionnaire, Medical Outcomes Social Support and Brief Resilience Scale were filled out. Data analyzed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression with a significance level of p < 0.05 in SPSS software version 23.

RESULT: The prevalence of high perceived stress and depressive symptoms was 18.8% and 15.6%, respectively. There was a significant relationship between depression and perceived stress (p = 0.029), as well as low social support (p = 0.034), history of previous abortion (p = 0.001), and social factors of abortion (p = 0.045) with perceived stress (p < 0.05). There was no significant relationship between other variables such as resilience, domestic violence, quality of marriage with perceived stress and depression (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of perceived stress and depression was not high in this women. Previous abortion history, low social support, and abortion for social reasons were the most important factors affecting perceived stress, which was also significantly associated with depression. The findings emphasize the importance of assessing the mental health of women seeking abortion, especially those with high-risk factors for Appropriate interventions.