فهرست نشریات علمی دسترسی آزاد ایران

Introduction: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2009) reported that since women’s experiences of induced abortion are poorly known, examining the effectiveness of current policies and planning for the future are difficult. Due to illegality of induced abortion in Iran and the significant knowledge gap in this area, the present study was designed. Method: The data were collected through 23 semi-structured in-depth interviews from May to September 2013 in Tabriz, Iran, and analyzed using descriptive-interpretive approach of content analysis. The participants were 15 women who had recently undergone an induced abortion (during the past year). All interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data analysis was conducted simultaneously to data collection and using MAXQDA 2007. Results: Findings fell into three main themes: individual reflections, gaining social support, and postabortion conflicts. This means that the study participants, when facing an unplanned pregnancy, showed negative reactions and had some concerns. Then, they begin to gain social support for having an abortion. Due to the incompatibleness of abortion with religious beliefs and values, post-abortion conflict was a common experience. Conclusion: Unplanned pregnancy for women begins with initial negative reactions and leads to postabortion conflicts. These findings highlight the importance of psychological support of women with unplanned pregnancies, prevention of unwanted pregnancy occurrence, and designing secondary prevention programs.