~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
National study: Abortion does not cause depression or low self-esteem
in adolescents
http://www.physorg.com/news204549702.html
September 24, 2010
A new study has determined that teenagers who have abortions are no
more likely to become depressed or have low self-esteem than their
peers whose pregnancies do not end in abortion.
The study conducted by researchers from Oregon State University and
University of California, San Francisco, is the first to use both
depression and low self-esteem as outcomes with a nationally
representative sample of adolescents.
The researchers found that young women in the study who had an
abortion were no more likely to become depressed or have low
self-esteem within the first year of pregnancy - or five years later -
than their peers who were pregnant, but did not have an abortion.
The researchers used data from 289 respondents to the National
Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). Data were taken
from three survey waves, starting in 1994-1995, surveyed again one
year later, and then five years after that. The study is available
online and will appear in the December issue of Perspectives on Sexual
and Reproductive Health.
Lead author Jocelyn Warren, a post-doctoral research associate at OSU,
said the study was intended to fill a major gap in abortion research.
"We know most teen pregnancies are not wanted pregnancies and an
unwanted pregnancy can be very stressful," Warren said.
She said previous research has shown that adolescent girls who get
pregnant report more depression and lower self-esteem compared to
those who don't. "What we didn't know was whether psychological
outcomes are worse for girls who choose abortion. This study says,
'No.'"
Warren noted that a 2008 report by the American Psychological
Association found no evidence that an induced abortion causes mental
health problems in adult women. Because of a scarcity of evidence, no
conclusions were drawn at that time about adolescents. Warren said the
results of their study with teen girls were consistent with the
results of studies with adult women reviewed in the APA report.
"Abortion is a very controversial issue and a hot political one,
obviously," said Marie Harvey, a professor of public health at OSU and
a leading national researcher in the area of women's health. Harvey
was Warren's doctoral adviser and is co-author of the paper.
"In the interest of women's health, it's critical that we conduct the
most rigorous studies possible and use evidence-based information to
inform public policy," Harvey said. "This is our goal in public health
research but it may be even more important in areas such as abortion
that are highly politicized."
According to the Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit organization that
monitors state abortion policies, 34 states require parental
involvement in adolescents' abortion decisions. In addition, laws in
seven states mandate that women be advised only of negative
psychological consequences of abortion, including "post-abortion
traumatic stress syndrome," a disorder that is not recognized by the
American Psychological Association or the American Psychiatric
Association.
Warren said it's important to note that individual women may have very
different emotional responses to abortion. "But, on average, abortion
does not appear to have major psychological consequences - for adult
women or for teens."
"We have policies being made that are not evidence-based, and that
have adverse consequences for women's health," Harvey said. "I cannot
think of any other type of health practice where a doctor is forced by
law to tell a patient about negative consequences that have not been
proven or validated."
Harvey said their study had several strengths. For one thing, the data
were from a national sample and are representative of adolescents who
were in grades 7 through 12. Also, the study used standard measures of
depression and self-esteem. Finally, the longitudinal data examined
psychological symptoms before, during, and years after pregnancy,
Harvey said.
Provided by Oregon State University
"Ethics" is simply a last-gasp attempt by deist conservatives and
orthodox dogmatics to keep humanity in ignorance and obscurantism,
through the well tried fermentation of fear, the fear of science and
new technologies.
There is nothing glorious about what our ancestors call history,
it is simply a succession of mistakes, intolerances and violations.
On the contrary, let us embrace Science and the new technologies
unfettered, for it is these which will liberate mankind from the
myth of god, and free us from our age old fears, from disease,
death and the sweat of labour.
Rael
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Tell your friends who love scientific news that they can
subscribe to this list !!
They can do it by sending a blank email to:
rael-science-select-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
It's free !
-----------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, send an email to:
rael-science-select-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------
To change your e-mail address, unsubscribe from the old address and subscribe from the new address (see above).
-----------------------------------------------------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment