Study finds one abortion doesn't raise mental risks

WASHINGTON - Women who have a single abortion do not have a higher risk of mental health problems such as depression than women who have their babies, the American Psychological Association reported yesterday.

A panel appointed by the group representing psychologists found no credible evidence that having one elective abortion to end an unwanted pregnancy causes mental health problems for adult women.

"The best scientific evidence published indicates that among adult women who have an unplanned pregnancy, the relative risk of mental health problems is no greater if they have a single elective first-trimester abortion or deliver that pregnancy," said Brenda Major, a psychologist at the University of California Santa Barbara, who chaired the task force.

"The evidence regarding the relative mental health risks associated with multiple abortions is more uncertain," said Major, a specialist in the psychology of stress.

The psychologists analyzed hundreds of studies that have been done on the contentious question, including those that have purported to show serious mental health effects of abortion.

Their report, being presented at a meeting of the American Psychological Association in Boston, counters arguments made by antiabortion groups.

They said women who had mental health problems before becoming pregnant, women who worried about stigma or secrecy, or those who had low self-esteem were more likely to develop mental problems after an abortion.

"Across studies, prior mental health emerged as the strongest predictor of post-abortion mental health.

Many of these same factors also predict negative psychological reactions to other types of stressful life events, including childbirth," they wrote in the report.

About half of women in the United States will face an unintended pregnancy during their lifetimes, the report said.