Dr.

Koop early research on the topic 1989

Does abortion cause harm in womens mental health?

Report of the APA taskforce on mental health and abortion
1.

Does Abortion cause Harm in womens mental health?

Cant be scientifically answered due to:
Ethics
Scientific accuracy

2.

How prevalent are Mental health problems among women who have had an abortion?

WHO Mental Health

Well Being
Realize of own abilities
Work productibly
Cope with daily life stress
Contribute with community

As prevalent as normal population for women who had one abortion prior to 21 years but
increased for women who had more than one

3.

What is the Relative Risk of mental health between women who have abortion and women who dont?
Higher relative risk for women who had more than one abortion prior to 21 years in contrast with women who
either delivered or adopted.

4.

What predicts variation in women psychological esperience following abortion?

Low percieved social support
Low self steem and low self efficacy
Avoidance coping

Poverty

The same factors that influence Psychological response to stressful life events
such as Adopting and Keeping the baby.

Induced termination of
pregnancy before the ending
of the first trimester
Elective
Voluntary
Therapeutic

Framework
1.

Stress and coping Perspective

Dealing with the Psychological experience that follows abortion is seen as daily life stress coping.

2.

Traumatic Experience

3.

Sociocultural Context

4.

Co-ocurring risk factors.

Abortion is seen as a negative traumatic experience, since its the termination of a life cicle and goes against nature.
Psychological eperience following abortion is shaped by context and social stigma, Immedate context and future context.
The psychological experience following abortion is a byproduct of co ocurring factors and experiences

U.S.A
2007

Violent Video Game Effects on Aggression, Empathy, and Prosocial Behavior

Anderson et al.

Exposure to media violence is not the only risk factor for high levels of aggresion.
Effect on aggresive behaviour is the highest.
More effect in western cultures (not experimental).

Exposure to videogames violence

1.

Context of violence

2.

Importance given to the context

3.

Cultural differences related to emotions and emotional response.

4.

Cultures with collectivis values, high moral discipline, egalitarian

and confucian values, have reported less levels of aggresion than
other cultures.

Context of playing areas

Parental control might reduce the effect of
Videogames violence

On the other hand, prosocial videogames

increase empathy and prosocial behaviour.

Theoretical Framerork
Social Cognitive
Facilitation
Inhibition
Short term vs long term effects
Eg: Bloody video game vs non bloody video game
repeated exposure, increased violence in bloody
videogames, same short term response.
Aggresive cognition vs Affect and arousal
Require the activation of violent thoughts,
repeated thoughts become part of personality.

The evidence strongly suggests that exposure to violent video games is a causal risk factor for increased aggressive behavior,
aggressive cognition, and aggressive affect and for decreased empathy and prosocial behavior.
Eastern and Western Countries
2010

Stress in amrica Survey

2014-APA

Adults report high levels of stress inefficiently managed.

Money and Work are the most common stressors among adults.
80% report that their stress levels have maintained or increased in the last year.
Adults struggle to manage stress
Exercising is correlated woth lower stress levels.
Female teens report higher levels of stress.

Report dietary changes due to stress.

Teens report high levels of stress, specially females
Sleep Quality and time is correlated with stress.

and they also report less healty activities

Adults and teens report higher levels of stress than what they percieve to be healthy

Stress
Weakens the immune system.
Exhausts the body.

Sleep
Exercise
Eating
Perception about stress affects health
2012-Abiola k. et al.

Stress alone and perception about stress both affect independantly health and mental health.
The presence of both is correlated with increased mortality rates.
Perception about: Amount and Its effects.