Inclusion of minor adolescents in abortion research, 2019-2023: A systematic scoping review

To systematically assess the inclusion of minor adolescents in U.S. abortion research from 2019-2023.

A systematic scoping review was conducted using PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Sociological Abstracts, PAIS, and Web of Science for studies published between January 1, 2019-December 31, 2023. Studies were screened by independent raters and included if peer-reviewed, written in English, U.S.-based, and containing individual-level data on people seeking or receiving abortion care.

Screening resulted in 344 eligible studies. Minor adolescents were enrolled in n=94 (27.3%) of studies and not enrolled in 150 (43.6%) of studies. In the remaining n=100 (29.1%) studies, there was insufficient information to determine whether minors were enrolled. In n=125 (83.3%) of the n=150 studies not enrolling minors, minors were specifically excluded in the study's inclusion criteria. Among N=36,361,364 total participants across all 344 studies examined, n=406,529 (1.1%) were reported to be minor adolescents.

There is a considerable body of research on abortion access and experiences among minors in the U.S. However, minors' inclusion remains underreported in this literature. Based on our results, we provide recommendations to support transparent and standardized reporting of minors in abortion research. Such standardization will help to grow the evidence base on minors and abortion and subsequently support the development of evidence-based policies and clinical guidance for minors. The recommendations provided herein can also form the basis for future development of consensus guidelines on reporting minors' inclusion in studies.