Abortion in single girls in Hong Kong

Abstract

100 consecutive referrals of single pregnant women under 25 years old made over 2 years by the Hong Kong Family Planning Association Youth Advisory Service to the University Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology for therapeutic abortion were studied to assess psychological factors and sexual behavior of the women. Subjects were interviewed before and 6 weeks after the procedure. 77% were under 22 years of age, 77% worked while the remainder were students, 77% had reached the secondary educational level, and most were of middle-lower socioeconomic class. 81% of a subgroup of 42 girls interviewed in detail on sexual topics were from families with 4 or more children, larger than the average Hong Kong family of 2.6. A majority of the girls appeared to come from happy homes, but less than 1/2 said they would seek help from their families in times of trouble. All the girls were made pregnant by their boyfriends, with 60% reporting romantic love and 16% the prospect of marriage as the reason. 12% were unable to give a reason, and the remainder reported erotic impulse, boyfriend's expectations, or attention seeking as the reason. Almost 50% of the subgroup had had only 1 boyfriend and mean frequency of intercourse was once/month. 25% of the girls had used some form of contraception, with 40% each using safety period and condom, 16% coitus interruptus, and 4% vaginal pessary. Usage was significantly correlated with educational level. Ignorance of methods of source of supply was the stated reason for not using contraception in over 1/2 of the cases. 31 girls used oral contraceptives, IUD, or condom after the abortion. The most common reasons given for seeking abortion were to continue studying (27%), financial difficulty (23%), and family pressure (17%). 76% expressed relief after the abortion, 16 had some temporary unhappiness, and 1 reported regret.