Internalized shame and stigma-related isolation predict worse health for women who get an abortion
By Eric W. Dolan
March 11, 2018
New research from Ireland has found that the stigmatization of abortion is linked to psychological distress and negative health outcomes for women who terminate their pregnancy. The study, published in Psychology of Women Quarterly, found that internalized shame about abortion and deliberate isolation from others were associated with impaired mental and physical well-being.
“I started off interested in stigmatized identities, and their impact on psychological and physical well-being. I had done some earlier research on the stigma and unemployment, so I knew that most stigma research focuses on psychological well-being only,” said Aisling T. O’Donnell of the University of Limerick, the study’s corresponding author.