Table 1.
Demographic, socioeconomic, pregnancy, abortion seeking, and mental health characteristics of people seeking abortion in 2019 in four clinics in California, Illinois, and New Mexico (N = 784)
| Participants’ characteristics | N (%) |
|---|---|
| Demographic characteristics | |
| Age group (years) | |
| 15-17 | 38 (5) |
| 18-19 | 59 (7) |
| 20-24 | 199 (26) |
| 25-29 | 230 (29) |
| 30-39 | 234 (30) |
| 40-45 | 24 (3) |
| Self-reported race/ethnicity | |
| White, non-Hispanic | 208 (27) |
| Black, non-Hispanic | 208 (27) |
| Hispanic/Latina/Latinx | 179 (23) |
| Asian, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic | 46 (6) |
| Mixed race or other race/ethnicity | 86 (11) |
| Missing | 57 (6) |
| Socioeconomic characteristics | |
| Confidence in ability to come up with $2000 if an unexpected need arose next month | |
| Not at all confident | 356 (45) |
| Only slightly confident | 155 (20) |
| Somewhat confident | 121 (15) |
| Very confident | 79 (11) |
| Missing | 73 (9) |
| Has health insurance | 564 (72) |
| Difficulty finding money to pay to for abortion | |
| Not at all difficult | 346 (44) |
| A little bit difficult | 132 (17) |
| Somewhat difficult | 152 (19) |
| Very difficult | 146 (19) |
| Missing | 8 (1) |
| Current pregnancy characteristics | |
| Current relationship with the man involved in the pregnancy | |
| Very committed intimate relationship | 373 (48) |
| Somewhat committed intimate relationship | 103 (13) |
| Friends with benefits | 48 (6) |
| In contact but not in intimate relationship | 77 (10) |
| Not in contact/no relationship | 114 (14) |
| Other | 3 (1) |
| Missing | 66 (8) |
| Retrospective pregnancy intentions of current pregnancy | |
| Mistimed (wanted pregnancy sooner/later) | 270 (34) |
| Pregnancy wanted | 33 (4) |
| Wanted pregnancy never | 326 (42) |
| Not sure what wanted | 152 (19) |
| Missing | 3 (1) |
| Abortion seeking characteristics | |
| Gestational duration at the time of abortion (weeks) | |
| ≤12 | 548 (70) |
| 13-19 | 112 (14) |
| ≥20 | 113 (14) |
| Missing | 11 (2) |
| Seeking abortion due to fetal medical condition | 30 (4) |
| Seeking abortion due to maternal health concerns | 120 (15) |
| Seeking abortion because pregnancy is result of rape or sexual assault | 14 (2) |
| Traveled out-of-state to abortion clinic | 257 (33) |
| One-way distance traveled to abortion clinic (miles) | |
| ≤25 | 396 (51) |
| 26-50 | 101 (13) |
| 51-75 | 43 (5) |
| 76-100 | 39 (5) |
| >100 | 205 (26) |
| Recruitment site | |
| Clinic A | 248 (32) |
| Clinic B | 214 (27) |
| Clinic C | 212 (27) |
| Clinic D | 110 (14) |
| Mental health, childhood adversity, and substance use history | |
| History of depression or anxiety diagnosis | 196 (25) |
| History of adverse childhood experiences, any of following: | 265 (34) |
| Lived with someone who had a drinking problem | 178 (23) |
| Witnessed violence in the neighborhood | 173 (22) |
| Lived with someone who was mentally ill or depressed | 125 (16) |
| Lived with someone who served time in jail or prison | 126 (16) |
| Felt unsupported, unloved, or unprotected at home | 122 (15) |
| Missing | 49 (6) |
| History of problem substance use in the past year | 266 (34) |
| Monthly, weekly, or daily use of any illicit or street drugs or prescription drugs for recreational use | 99 (13) |
| Monthly, weekly, or daily use of four or more alcoholic drinks on one occasion | 233 (30) |