"I'm Pregnant, What Do I Do?": Exploring How People Having Abortions in Britain Find and Use Online Sources of Information.
Background: Accurate, timely, and supportive information is important for high‐quality abortion care. Limited research explores how people find and use online sources of information (OSI) during the abortion process, particularly in Britain. Understanding experiences of using OSI is important for th...
| Published in: | Perspectives on Sexual & Reproductive Health Vol. 57; no. 3; pp. 281 - 293 |
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
| Format: | research tables/charts Journal Article |
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Wiley-Blackwell
Sep2025
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| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=187860179&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ccm uiTerm: 187860179 longDbName: CINAHL Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: dissinfo: jinfo: jid: 15386341 K87 jtl: Perspectives on Sexual & Reproductive Health issn: 15386341 maglogo: Y pubinfo: dt: Sep2025 vid: 57 iid: 3 pid: 480 pub: Wiley-Blackwell place: Malden, Massachusetts artinfo: ui: 187860179 186180803 187860179 187860179 10.1111/psrh.70016 187860179 ppf: 281 ppct: 12 formats: fmt: – @attributes: type: T – @attributes: type: P tig: atl: "I'm Pregnant, What Do I Do?": Exploring How People Having Abortions in Britain Find and Use Online Sources of Information. aug: au: Mackay, Rosa Scott, Rachel Lewandowska, Maria Meiksin, Rebecca Salaria, Natasha Lohr, Patricia A. Cameron, Sharon Palmer, Melissa French, Rebecca S. Wellings, Kaye Aronsson, Annette Baraitser, Paula Free, Caroline Keogh, Louise Murphy, Clare Norman, Wendy Reiter, Jennifer Shawe, Jill Sheldon, Sally Wong, Geoffrey affil: Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK sug: subj: Abortion, Induced Internet Consumer Health Information Utilization Consumer Attitudes Evaluation Human Great Britain Female Adolescence Adult Middle Age Qualitative Studies Purposive Sample Semi-Structured Interview Audiorecording Thematic Analysis Motivation Health Services Accessibility Health Knowledge Support, Psychosocial Attitude to Pregnancy Pregnancy Access to Information Funding Source Adolescent: 13-18 years Adult: 19-44 years Middle Aged: 45-64 years Female ab: Background: Accurate, timely, and supportive information is important for high‐quality abortion care. Limited research explores how people find and use online sources of information (OSI) during the abortion process, particularly in Britain. Understanding experiences of using OSI is important for the development of person‐centered services and resources. Methods: We conducted a thematic analysis of qualitative data from 41 semi‐structured interviews carried out in 2021/2022 with people who had recent experience of abortion in Britain. Results: Using OSI was common amongst participants. Our analysis generated four distinct motivations for doing so. People used OSI to find information about accessing abortion services. OSI was also used to demystify abortion, as many participants did not understand what the process involved or know what to expect. Connection and solidarity were sought through OSI, and some participants felt supported by the content they found, particularly through the accounts of others. Finally, people used OSI to explore their relationship with their pregnancy during the abortion process. Using OSI brought benefits—including finding non‐judgmental and supportive resources—and challenges, including struggling to find relevant information or encountering negative stories and anti‐abortion views. Nonetheless, participants appreciated OSI and expressed a desire for more real‐life stories and online spaces where they could connect with others. Conclusions: People having abortions want and need different things from the online resources they consult. However, OSI have the potential to provide valuable information, connection, and a place for exploration around the topic of abortion. Future work should explore how OSI can meet these different needs, guided by the motivations of users. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: research tables/charts Journal Article ougenre: Article language: English refInfo: holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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