فاطمه میرارشادی

Elective abortion is one of the factors affecting the decline in population growth and fertility rates and is a complex issue in the field of reproductive health. Given that elective abortion is prohibited in Iran, there are no accurate statistics on it. This study aimed to investigate the frequency, causes and methods of elective abortion and demographic characteristics of related women referring to Alavi Educational and Medical Center in Ardabil city from 2022 to 2023.

This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted on women referred to Alavi Hospital in Ardabil for elective abortion from November 2022 to March 2023. Data were collected through referrals to women's records, interviews, and questionnaires. Data analysis was carried out using SPSS-16 and descriptive statistics.

116 women were referred to Alavi Hospital in Ardabil for elective abortion. The largest number of women (50.9%) was in the age group of 25-34 years and most of them (79.3%) lived in urban areas. The gestational age of 78.4% of them was less than 12 weeks. In terms of education, 41.4% of women had an intermediate level of education. 62.9% of women used natural contraception and 87.1% used the misoprostol method for abortion. Desire to Limit childbearing (20.7%) was the main reason for abortion. 54.3% of women had no history of previous abortion.

Considering that the desire to limit childbearing was the main reason for abortion, and that the most studied people had no history of abortion and had average to low income and job satisfaction, it can be concluded that cultural, economic, and social issues are involved in abortion.

 Stress is a psychological pressure that affects an individual's physical health, including skin health. Skin disorders can also exacerbate stress, creating a vicious cycle in which stress and skin diseases reinforce each other. The aim of this study was to determine the level of stress in patients with fungal skin infections and compare it with healthy individuals.

 This descriptive-analytical study was conducted with the participation of 152 patients with fungal skin infections referred to Ardabil medical centers and 148 of their companions as a healthy group in 2023. The sampling method was available sample. A total of 300 individuals were selected through convenience sampling. The Perceived Stress Scale by Cohen was used to assess stress levels. After completing the questionnaires by both groups, perceived positive and negative stress levels were evaluated. Data were analyzed using the independent t-test and SPSS Statistics for Windows, version 26.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, Ill., USA).

 A total of 152 volunteers with fungal infections, including 108 women and 44 men, aged 18 to 48, and 148 healthy volunteers, including 76 women and 72 men, participated in the study. The mean (SD) age of the patient group was 31.5 (5.0) and the healthy group was 31.2 (6.6) years. In the patient group, the mean (SD) of perceived negative stress was 23.6 (0.3) higher than in the healthy group 22.8 (0.2) (P=0.01). There was no difference in the level of perceived positive stress between the healthy 17.0 (3.8) and the patient 16.7 (5.4) groups.

 The level of negative perceived stress was higher in patients with fungal skin infections compared to healthy individuals. Psychological interventions aimed at training patients in perceived stress management appear to be necessary.