Characteristics and Circumstances of Adolescents Obtaining Abortions in the United States.
Int J Environ Res Public Health
; 21(4)2024 Apr 13.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38673388
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study is to describe the sociodemographic and situational circumstances of adolescents obtaining abortion in the United States prior to the Dobbs decision. We use data from the Guttmacher Institute's 2021-2022 Abortion Patient Survey, a cross-sectional survey of 6698 respondents; our analytic sample includes 633 adolescents (<20 years), 2152 young adults (20-24 years), and 3913 adults (25+ years). We conducted bivariate analyses to describe the characteristics and logistical and financial circumstances of adolescents obtaining abortions in comparison to respondents in the other age groups. The majority of adolescents identified as non-white (70%), and 23% identified as something other than heterosexual. We found that 26% of adolescents reported having no health insurance, and two-thirds of adolescent respondents reported that somebody had driven them to the facility. Adolescents differed from adults in their reasons for delays in accessing care; a majority of adolescents (57%) reported not knowing they were pregnant compared to 43% of adults, and nearly one in five adolescents did not know where to obtain the abortion compared to 11% of adults. Adolescents were more likely than adults to obtain a second-trimester abortion, which has increased costs. This study found that this population was more vulnerable than adults on several measures. Findings suggest that adolescents navigate unique barriers with regard to information and logistics to access abortion care.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Temas:
ECOS
/
Estado_mercado_regulacao
Bases de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Aborto Induzido
Limite:
Adolescent
/
Adult
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Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Pregnancy
País/Região como assunto:
America do norte
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Int J Environ Res Public Health
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Estados Unidos