Exploring treatment preferences for psychological services after abortion among college students

Objective: This study reports on the preferences for psychological treatment after abortion among college students who experienced psychological distress and desired mental health services, and provides validation of the Post Abortion Questionnaire (PAQ) as a measure of abortion intervention preferences. Background: The current study is part of a larger programme of research to develop an effective behavioural intervention for young women who seek treatment for psychological distress after abortion. Based upon an earlier study which found that college women who sought psychological treatment after abortion experienced moderate to severe symptoms of acute and chronic post-traumatic stress disorder, this study aimed to identify the components of a behavioural intervention to reduce distress after abortion that a college population would prefer. Methods: Participants were N = 45 self-selected college students from Canada and the United States who experienced psychological stress after abortion and desired psychological treatment. Data were collected from January 2007 to January 2010, and included demographic and reproductive data as well as preferences for interventions to reduce psychological distress after abortion. The study was conducted at the McGill University Student Health Services in Montreal. Results: Principal Components Analyses was used to analyse service components of the PAQ, which identified types of services that students desired, including assistance for unanticipated guilt, spiritual distress, coping, and education to understand their abortion experience. Conclusion: These findings provide evidence to develop targeted post-abortion psychological services for this population, which are generally not available in the clinical setting.