Have Others Had This Experience? A Qualitative Analysis of Posts on Self‐Managed Abortion to US‐Based Reddit Community
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6444913 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Karen Weidert (0000-0001-5538-2286, Berkeley Public Health Division), Elizabeth Pleasants (0000-0001-8435-5682, Berkeley Public Health Division), Lindsay Parham (0009-0006-0548-8633, Berkeley Public Health Division), Eliza Dolgins (0009-0002-1283-8057, Berkeley Public Health Division), Emma Anderson (0000-0001-8909-3335, Berkeley Public Health Division), Ndola Prata (0000-0002-5913-0737, Berkeley Public Health Division) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 57 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 175-184 |
| Publication date | 2025-05-30 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1538-6341 • E-ISSN: 1931-2393 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/psrh.70011 |
| PMID | 40444799 |
| OpenAlex | W4410897061 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 50 |
Objectives Limiting abortion within the formal health care system is associated with more self‐managed abortion (SMA). Reddit is a publicly available social networking site that allows users to create and join communities (“subreddits”) around a specific topic. R/abortion is a subreddit dedicated to providing support and advice to people seeking or having an abortion. The purpose of this study is to analyze r/abortion data after the Dobbs leak in 2022 to explore SMA access and use experiences shared in the community. Methods We employed a hybrid qualitative thematic analysis approach to describe experiences, concerns, and questions related to SMA as shared in posts from r/abortion. A simple random sample of 10% of posts was obtained from those shared from May 2, 2022 through December 23, 2022 ( n = 523). Results Among the analyzed posts, 111 described experiences with SMA. Four themes emerged during the analysis. First, some posters noted concerns and questions related to online ordering and receiving mailed medication abortion, including shipping delays, cost, and discreet packaging. The second theme was related to concerns and questions about the SMA process, such as when and how to take medication, bleeding amount, and abortion completion. The final two themes were related to seeking support/advice for SMA and sharing SMA experiences, with community members seeking and sharing support to combat isolation while self‐managing. Discussion R/abortion is an important resource for some people self‐managing abortions. This study provided key insights into areas that are commonly discussed, which can inform the provision of practical support for SMA
Abortion · Pregnancy · Qualitative research · SMA · Sociology · Thematic analysis · Computer Science · Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum · Medicine · Psychology · Reproductive Health and Contraception · Reproductive Health and Technologies · Social Psychology
Mental Health Discourse on reddit
The Pushshift Reddit Dataset
Low Health Literacy and Health Outcomes
Disguising Reddit sources and the efficacy of ethical research
Experiences seeking, sourcing, and using abortion pills at home in the United States through an online telemedicine service
Studying the amateur artist
Accompaniment on the edge
Abortion Stigma
Real-Time Effects of Payer Restrictions on Reproductive Healthcare
Reddit in communication research
I'm going to be forced to have a baby”
Abortion needs expressed on Reddit after the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision in the United States
Abortion incidence and service availability in the United States, 2020
The Growing Importance of Self-Managed and Telemedicine Abortion in the United States
Waiting to start abortion
Demonstrating Rigor Using Thematic Analysis
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |