THE MEANING AND IMPACT OF PARTNERS ACCOMPANIMENT ON WOMENS ADJUSTMENTTO ABORTION

The present study examined the meaning of accompaniment to an abortion clinic by a male partner and explored the effects of accompaniment on women's immediate and three-week post-abortion psychological distress . A comparison of accompanied and unaccompanied women revealed few dif ferences in demographic or psychological characteristics, although acc ompanied women perceived greater levels of social support from their p artners and reported that they were in more committed relationships. T he effects of accompaniment on women's post-abortion distress were nei ther universally positive nor universally negative, but depended on th e personal characteristics of the women involved. Consistent with Cons ervation of Resources Theory (Hobfoll, 1988), accompaniment was more b eneficial for women who were high in personal coping resources than fo r women low in these resources.