To assess the severity of anxiety as state and as trait, depressiveness and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) of adolescents after artificial abortion up to 12^th week of pregnancy.

The study was carried out in Tuzla Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BH). We assessed 120 female adolescents aged 17.7±1.5 years for trauma experiences, presence of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSD Questionnaire), depression (Beck’s Depression Inventory - BDI) and anxiety as state, and anxiety as trait (STAI - Form Y). Sixty adolescents had intentional artificial abortion and 60 had no abortion.

Adolescents who aborted pregnancy presented significantly more severe depressiveness (mean ± standard deviation=39.2±16.1) than adolescents who did not abort (17±12.9; F=69.249, P<0.001, ANOVA). Anxiety as state (mean±standard deviation=4.2±0.95) and as trait (4.2±3.4) was significantly higher in abortion group than in non-abortion group (3.2±1.1, F=27.749, P< 0.001; 3.4±1.1, F=17.033, P< 0.001,ANOVA, respectively). There were no significant differences in severity of PTSS amongst adolescents who aborted pregnancy ((mean ± standard deviation=34.3±23.7), than adolescents who did not abort (27.1±16.7, F=3.856, P=0.052, ANOVA).

Adolescents who aborted pregnancy presented significantly more severe intensity of depressiveness and significantly more severe anxiety as state and trait than those who did not abort, but there were no differences in severity of PTS symptoms in abortion and no abortion group of adolescents.