Navigating Abortion Stigma: Abortion Identity Centrality, Stigma Management Strategies, and Psychological Outcomes

On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade in a landmark decision that reversed decades of legal precedent for abortion access at the national level, instead returning decisions about reproductive autonomy to individual states. This decision both reflects and produces abortion stigma, which has been linked to harmful psychosocial outcomes among abortion recipients. In a sample of 269 primarily White, heterosexual, cisgender women, this study sought to examine the relation between abortion stigma and psychological outcomes through abortion identity centrality. Additionally, we explored the role of two potential stigma-management strategies in these relations—abortion history disclosure and reproductive justice advocacy. Results indicated that abortion stigma was related to greater levels of distress and lower psychological well-being. The relation between abortion stigma and psychological well-being through abortion identity centrality was non-significant at high levels of reproductive justice advocacy, primarily due to advocacy’s buffering role in the relation between abortion identity centrality and psychological well-being. Furthermore, abortion stigma was significantly negatively related to psychological well-being at moderate to higher levels of disclosure. Mental health providers are encouraged to consider the roles of abortion stigma on the mental health of those who have experienced abortion, while also considering potential stigma-management strategies.