Association between childhood psychosocial factors and induced abortion

To examine the predictive associations between psychosocial risk factors in childhood and having an abortion in adolescence or young adulthood.

This study is based on a nationwide cohort consisting of 2867 girls born in Finland in 1981. The baseline assessment was conducted at age eight by three informants, and it included information on psychiatric symptoms, school performance and family related risk factors. Register-based follow-up data on abortions were collected until the end of the year when the participants turned 28 years. They were available for 2694 participants. Cox proportional hazards model and logistic regression model were used for statistical analysis.

Altogether 357 women (13.3%) had had an abortion for other than medical reasons during the follow-up. Of the childhood factors, a high level of conduct problems, poor school performance, family structure other than two biological parents, and mother with a low level of education were independently associated with having an abortion. Comparison of the strength of associations between childhood risk factors and first abortion under the age of 20 versus first abortion at a later age, showed no significant differences. Neither did the comparison between one and more abortions.

At age eight there are already psychosocial factors which predict later abortion. This finding needs to be considered when targeting preventive interventions and developing sexual health services.