Factors Affecting Inducted Abortion: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Background: In Iran, nearly 530,000 intentional abortions take place every year. Intentional or criminal abortions make up nearly a third of all abortions, which is a significant number. In order to improve the mortality rate of pregnant mothers and reduce unsafe abortions, it is necessary to identify key causes of abortion. This study was conducted to investigate the factors affecting induced abortions, allowing for the development of effective solutions for policy-making based on the results. Methods: The present study was carried out using the scoping review method in 2023. This scoping review assessed articles related to the causes of induced abortion from 2003 to 2023 searched in English language databases, including Springer, PubMed, Web of Science, Emerald, ScienceDirect, and Scopus, as well as Persian electronic databases, including Magiran and SID, and the Google Scholar search engine. The data were analyzed qualitatively through content analysis and coded using MAXQDA software, version 20. Results: In this study, factors affecting induced abortion were categorized as predisposing factors, enabling factors, and need factors associated with the use or non-use of health services. Conclusion: The effective factors in fertility are the society’s culture, as well as environmental, social, economic, political, and religious factors that determine fertility and abortion within the society. At the micro level, personal motives, people’s attitudes, and their perceptions can affect people’s behavior.

Keywords

• induced abortion
• factors induced abortion