For Immediate Release
Abortion Linked to Higher Rates of
Child Abuse, Study Finds
Springfield, IL (March 12, 2007) -- A
history of abortion is associated with more frequent acts of physical aggression
toward subsequent children, according to a new study published in the
Internet Journal of Pediatrics and Neonatology.
The findings were drawn from an
analysis of data on 237 low-income women in Baltimore who had physically
mistreated or neglected at least one of their children or allowed someone else
to do so. Researchers controlled for a history of miscarriage or stillbirth, as
well as for family history, aggression by the woman's partner and other key
factors. While all the women in the study had some connection with child
maltreatment or neglect, the authors found that those who reported a history of
abortion reported significantly more frequent acts of physical violence, such as
slapping, hitting or beating, directed at their children.
Priscilla Coleman, a professor of
human development and family studies at Bowling Green State University and lead
author of the study, suggested that the link between abortion and child abuse
may be influenced by a number of key factors, including unresolved grief, having
felt pressured into an unwanted abortion, and disruption in maternal bonding
with subsequently born children.
Unresolved grief issues, Coleman
noted, "may negatively impact parental responsiveness to child needs, trigger
anger, which is a common component of grief, and/or increase parental anxiety
regarding child well-being." Some research indicates that grief may be more
difficult to resolve if women undergo an unwanted abortion due to pressure from
others. In one study, cited by Coleman, 64 percent of American women with a
history of abortion reported feeling pressured to abort by others.
Dr. David Reardon, director of the
Elliot Institute and a leading researcher who has been involved in more than a
dozen studies on the impact of abortion on women, said that this latest study
confirms the general findings of previous studies linking abortion with a higher
risk of abuse or neglect.
"Previous research has also shown
that abortion is linked with a subsequent increased risk of alcoholism, drug
use, anxiety, rage, anger and psychiatric hospitalization," Reardon said. "Any of
these factors, individually or in combination, can significantly increase the
personal and family stresses that can lead to maltreatment or neglect."
A previous study by Coleman found
that a maternal history of abortion was linked to less supportive home
environments for subsequently born children and that subsequent children
exhibited more behavioral problems than the children of women without a history
of abortion.
A New Zealand study that tracked
young women from birth to 25 years of age found that young women who had
abortions were significantly more likely to experience subsequent depression,
suicidal behavior and substance abuse, even after the researchers controlled for
previous mental health problems.
"Taken all together, these studies
show that the mental health effects of abortion don't stop with women," Reardon
said. "They will impact their families, too."
Coleman's team suggested that
professionals should be aware of the links between abortion and maternal mental
health problems and "sensitively inquire about any history of abortion and
related, unresolved negative emotions when working with women engaged in or at
risk for aberrant parenting."
Finally, the authors concluded that
while additional research is always needed, there can no longer be any doubt
that abortion significantly impacts the health of women and their families.
"For years, abortion was construed to
be a benign medical procedure carrying little if any potential for lasting
adverse effects," they wrote. "However ... the last several years have brought
greater understanding that abortion for many women is an issue with profound
physical, psychological, spiritual and lifestyle dimensions that are intimately
tied to many aspects of their lives."
###
Sources:
PK Coleman, VM
Rue, CT Coyle, CD Maxey, "Induced Abortion and Child-Directed Aggression Among
Mothers of Maltreated Children," Internet Journal of Pediatrics and
Neonatology, 6(2), 2007.
http://www.ispub.com/ostia/index.php?xmlFilePath=journals/ijpn/vol6n2/abortion.xml.
VM Rue et. al., "Induced abortion and
traumatic stress: A preliminary comparison of American and Russian women,"
Medical Science Monitor, 10(10): SR5-16 (2004).
PK Coleman et. al., "The Quality of
the Caregiving Environment and Child Developmental Outcomes Associated with
Maternal History of Abortion Using the NLSY Data," Journal of Child
Psychology and Psychiatry, 43(6): 743-57 (2002).
DM Fergusson et. al., "Abortion in
young women and subsequent mental health," Journal of Child Psychology and
Psychiatry, 47(1): 16-24 (2006).
Additional studies
linking abortion to child abuse:
PG Ney, T Fung, AR Wickett,
"Relationship Between Induced Abortion and Child Abuse and Neglect: Four
Studies," Pre- and Perinatal Psychology Journal, 8(1):43-64 (1993).
M Benedict, R White, P Cornely,
"Maternal Perinatal Risk Factors and Child Abuse," Child Abuse and Neglect,
9: 217-224 (1985).
E. Lewis, "Two Hidden Predisposing
Factors in Child Abuse," Child Abuse and Neglect, 3: 327-330 (1979).
P. Ney, "Relationship Between
Abortion and Child Abuse," Canadian J. Psychiatry, 24:610-620 (1979).
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