ORIGINAL ARTICLES   

Minerva Ginecologica 2013 October;65(5):525-39

Copyright © 2013 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: Italian

Phenomenon of induced abortion carried out by adolescents in Europe and Italy between 1980 and 2010

Finicelli C. ✉

Studio di psicologia clinica perinatale e dell’adolescenza, Rho, Milano, Italia

Aim: We have performed an examination of databases and websites of statistical documentation available on the Internet to identify sources of information related to the phenomenon of induced abortion carried out by adolescents, to its trend over time and in different geographical areas, in order to verify changes versus analogies.
Methods: The study was a collection of statistical data, describing the trend of induced abortions carried by teenagers, published by the open access resources on the Internet. The phenomenon was observed on two different units of analysis, women under the age of 20 versus 18 years, placed in space-time dimensions consisted of geographical areas of different sizes, Europe, Italy, Northern Italy, and Lombardy on the period 1980-2010. Sources showing information on the collection and processing of disseminated data were preferred.
Results: During the examined period the data show the increase of voluntary terminations of pregnancy among adolescents in several European countries. In Northern Italy and Lombardy abortion rates were higher than in the national area. Changes in the characteristics presented by the samples emerged, consisting in the decrease of women in their late teens versus the increase of those in mean adolescence and the growth of women with foreign citizenship.
Conclusion: The use of statistical resources through the Internet has offered information to assist in identification of target populations on which to address intervention strategies for prevention. Useful to services in the choice of actions to combat the phenomenon of abortion and for the development of the skills required to teenagers from current demographic trends. In particular from abasement of age of first sexual intercourse, postponement of marriage and of first child to always higher age, the increase in migration flows.