Caritas et veritas 2015, 5(1):60-66 | DOI: 10.32725/cetv.2015.008

Post-Abortion Syndrome

Karolina Diallo, Marie Lhotová

Jihočeská univerzita v Českých Budějovicích, Teologická fakulta, Katedra etiky, psychologie a charitativní práce, Kněžská 8, 370 01 České Budějovice

The paper develops the controversial topic of artificial termination of pregnancy in connection with its possible impact on the woman's mental health in the form of the not infrequently appearing post-abortion syndrome. Post-abortion syndrome is a set of symptoms which in some women appear after an artificially induced abortion. It does not have its own diagnostic category and is considered to be a specific form of post-traumatic stress disorder. It manifests itself by general symptoms, which we can find in a post-traumatic stress disorder, but also by specific symptoms, on which the text of the paper focuses and which it analyses with reference to the literature. The paper further points out the risk factors identified by the American Psychological Association as those initiating or aggravating the course of post-abortion syndrome. The theoretical text is concluded by two case studies of women in whom post-abortion syndrome, or a form of post-traumatic stress disorder in direct connection with undergone artificial termination of pregnancy, was diagnosed.

Keywords: abortion, psychological responses to abortion, post-abortion syndrome, risk factors for PAS

Published: March 30, 2015  Show citation