Does Abortion Cause Mental Health Problems?
THE EVIDENCE THROUGH AN OBJECTIVE SCIENTIFIC LENS AS OPPOSED TO THE APA’S RECENT ANALYSIS Priscilla K. Coleman, Ph.D. Bowling Green State University I. Background for understanding causality when studying human behavior Due to the inherent complexity of human psychological health outcomes, such as depression and suicidal behavior, identification of a single, precise causal agent applicable to all cases is not possible. Every mental health problem is determined by numerous physical and psychological characteristics, background, and current situational factors subject to individual variation. Further, any one cause (e.g. abortion) is likely to have a variety of effects (e.g., anxiety, depression, suicidal behavior) based on the variables involved. A risk factor refers to any variable that has been established to increase the likelihood of an individual experiencing an adverse outcome. Risk factor data are used in medicine and psychology for the explicit purposes of understanding etiology
