Analysis of Factors Associated with Abortion in Japan
METHODS: This study analyzed data of national Lifestyle and Attitudes Toward Sexual Behavior survey of 2010. We used data from self-administered questionnaires distributed to 3,000 persons aged 16 to 49 years who were living in Japan and were selected by multistage random sampling for the survey. For the final analysis, we included 736 women who have had sexual relations from among the 1540 persons who agreed to participate in the original survey(participation rate: 57.2%).
We calculated the number of women who have had an abortion, and analyzed the relationship between the person’s characteristic variables and the incidence of abortion using a logistic regression model. The variables used in this study were participant demographics (age and educational background), divorced parents, history of abuse and self-injury, and attitudes toward contraception and abortion.
RESULTS: We found that all the 736 women included in the analysis experienced sexual activity at least once. The rate of abortion was 19.3%, and 6.9% participants underwent an abortion 2 or more times. The results of logistic regression indicated that a higher level of education and a mutual understanding between partners about contraception and abortions were negatively associated with the incidence of abortion. Further, age and self-injury were found to be positively associated with that of abortion. No association was identified between having divorced parents or abuse and that of abortion.
CONCLUSIONS: According to the finding from our study, social support for women with a history of self-injury and a mutual understanding between partners may prevent the incidence of abortion.