Abstract
Termination of pregnancy (TOP) is one of the options or solution female undergraduate students consider when faced with the crisis of an unplanned pregnancy. Literature has shown that young women under the age of 25 years (a prevalent age group among female university students) who have undergone TOP may initially experience temporary relief after the TOP. However, later they can experience feelings ranging from regret, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), to a diagnosis of mental illness. TOP in South Africa has been legalised, but the controversy and stigma surrounding the topic of TOP delays treatment which impacts on women’s mental and physical health issues. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the lived experiences of female undergraduate students who have undergone TOP in order to develop the recommendations towards the integrated post-TOP health care at the Campus Health Services within the university were this study was conducted. The objectives of this study were:
To explore and describe the lived experiences of female undergraduate students who have undergone TOP.
Based on the research findings, to provide recommendations towards the enhancement of integrated post-TOP health care within Campus Health Services in the university where the study was conducted.
A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual research design and phenomenological approach was employed. A purposive sample of nine female undergraduate students who had undergone TOP between 2 weeks to 24 months before the start of the study volunteered to participate in this study. In-depth individual interviews were conducted until data saturation using an audio-tape to capture individual interview discussions. All audio tapes where transcribed. Tesch’s method of thematic data analysis was utilised.
The central theme identified after data analysis was that the female undergraduate students, as individuals, experienced challenges related to their internal and external world before, during and after TOP that they had no control of. From the central theme,..
M.Cur. (Community Nursing Sciences)