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Updated: Jun 27, 2026

Using a Murine Model of Psychosocial Stress in Pregnancy as a Translationally Relevant Paradigm for Psychiatric Disorders in Mothers and Infants
Published on: June 13, 2021
Abortion and mental health disorders: evidence from a 30-year longitudinal study
David M Fergusson1, L John Horwood, Joseph M Boden
1Christchurch Healthnd Development Study, University of Otago, Christchurch School of Medicine and Health Sciences, PO Box 4345, Christchurch, New Zealand. dm.fergusson@otago.ac.nz
Background:
Research on the links between abortion and mental health has been limited by design problems and relatively weak evidence.
Aims:
To examine the links between pregnancy outcomes and mental health outcomes.
Method:
Data were gathered on the pregnancy and mental health history of a birth cohort of over 500 women studied to the age of 30.
Results:
After adjustment for confounding, abortion was associated with a small increase in the risk of mental disorders; women who had had abortions had rates of mental disorder that were about 30% higher. There were no consistent associations between other pregnancy outcomes and mental health. Estimates of attributable risk indicated that exposure to abortion accounted for 1.5% to 5.5% of the overall rate of mental disorders.
Conclusions:
The evidence is consistent with the view that abortion may be associated with a small increase in risk of mental disorders. Other pregnancy outcomes were not related to increased risk of mental health problems.
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