[Comparative catamnestic investigations concerning the psychological effects of sterilisation (author's transl)]

In a comparative catamnestic study the emotional working-through of sterilisation in 3 groups of 33 women was examined (duration of catamnesis: 10-12, 5, 2 years). Whereas in all the 3 collectives the upper lower class (according to Bolte) is represented the most frequently (58% in the 1st and the 2nd, 52% in the 3rd), as far as the lower middle class is concerned there is a higher fraction in the 3rd collective (p less than 0,05) and of the middle class there is a higher fraction in the collectives 1 and 2 (p less than 0,05). Women with a higher income (p less than 0,01) and with a better school and professional (p less than 0,05) training are overrepresented in the 2nd and 3rd collective. In the 3rd group only 6% indicated a religious bond, in comparison to 55% in the 1st and 49% in the 2nd group (p less than 0,01). Women of the 2nd and the 3rd collective were in comparison to those of the 1st group older (p less than 0,01) when they were sterilised, and had less children (p less than 0,05-0,01). In the 3rd group there were more divorced women (18%) in comparison to 3% in the 2nd and 0% in the 1st group (p less than 0,01). Concerning the indication for sterilisation medical-psychiatric causes were preponderant with 42% in the 1st group in comparison to 24% in the 2nd and 18% in the 3rd group (p less than 0,01), whereas in the 2nd group (61%) the social indications were predominant. The immediate cause for sterilisation was represented in the 2nd and the 3rd collective preponderantly by the desire to replace the hormonal contraceptives (p less than 0,01). The 1st collective mainly used insecure contraceptive methods before the operation, the 2nd and 3rd principally hormonal methods (p less than 0,01). In the 1st group it was mainly the insecurity of the method, in the 2nd and the 3rd there were more frequent side effects or contraindications (p less than 0,01), which caused the dissatisfaction with the anticonceptive method. The 3 groups differed significantly concerning the catamnestic evaluation of sterilisation. 100% of the last, 94% each of the 2nd and 3rd were satisfied concerning the sterilisation. To the question of working-through of sterilisation concerning psychic, somatic and especially sexual effects, most of the women in all the 3 groups responded favourably.