Making amends for wrongdoing: Thai women coping with pregnancy termination

Abstract

Pregnancy termination occurs in many countries but without medical indication is morally, socially, and legally disapproved in Thai society, and can lead to substantial mental health issues for the women involved. This qualitative descriptive research aimed to describe coping among the women who had experience in terminating their pregnancy without medical indications. Twelve participants, whose experiences ranged from 10 to 26 years and lived in Nakhon Nayok province, were purposively selected. Data were collected by in-depth interviews between January 2017 to January 2019 and analyzed using a narrative analysis technique. Trustworthiness was achieved through member checking, peer debriefing, and the researcher’s reflexive journal. Data analysis revealed rich findings in three themes: Suffering from wrongdoing, Making amends for wrongdoing, and Expecting support. Suffering from wrongdoing included the feelings of being wrong, being haunted, and having failed in life. Making amends for wrongdoing included accepting one’s wrongdoing, protecting self-values, seeking forgiveness from the deceased baby, as well as empowering oneself through learning from mistakes, not being stuck in the past, becoming stronger, and living life in a better way. The last theme, expecting support, included just understanding, men’s sharing of responsibility, and restoration of body and mind. Women who have experienced pregnancy termination have substantial long-term suffering to the point that they devote great time and effort to managing their mental health challenges. To enhance their healing process, their coping methods of making amends for wrongdoing should be enhanced, and the support they want should be provided from health care systems. Further research is needed to understand how accessible and gender-sensitive healthcare services are for such women.