The Management of Voluntary Abortion in Family Counselling Services. A Qualitative Study on the Role of Social Workers in Italy
Introduction. Elective abortion has always been considered taboo. The event can sometimes be experienced as traumatic, as the woman finds herself struggling against a range of emotions: fear, shame, ambivalence, and a sense of guilt. Multidisciplinary support is therefore fundamental to guide women...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Universidad de Alicante
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Alternativas |
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| Online Access: | https://alternativasts.ua.es/article/view/21262 |
| _version_ | 1797376513993080832 |
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| author | Ines Testoni Giulia Salvalaio Sara Pompele Adriano Zamperini |
| author_facet | Ines Testoni Giulia Salvalaio Sara Pompele Adriano Zamperini |
| author_sort | Ines Testoni |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction. Elective abortion has always been considered taboo. The event can sometimes be experienced as traumatic, as the woman finds herself struggling against a range of emotions: fear, shame, ambivalence, and a sense of guilt. Multidisciplinary support is therefore fundamental to guide women during this complex phase, and social workers usually play a key role in the process. The present study aimed therefore to explore the experiences and perspectives of social workers who worked with women who decided to have abortions, focusing on the strongest and weakest aspects of their support process. Methodology. The study involved 10 social workers working in family counselling services in Italy. All of them were female, with a mean age of 47 years, and a mean of 16.7 years of experience in the field. The study followed a qualitative approach, based on semi-structured interviews that were studied following the principles of thematic analysis. Results. Three fundamental themes emerged from the data analysis: “Limits of the family counselling procedures and organization”; “The emotional dimension of elective abortion”; and “The issue of conscientious objectors”. Discussion. The study highlighted how family counselling services are facing a crisis due to the lack of resources, personnel, and projects allowing for women’s proper sexual education and support. It also showed how the social worker’s role, which is fundamental, has instead been reduced, especially regarding elective abortions. Moreover, there was a lack of social and sanitary contexts integration and professional training that would provide the operators with specific skills and make them feel prepared to address such delicate situations. Conclusions. The need has emerged for a new, multidisciplinary perspective on the issue of voluntary interruption of pregnancy and social workers play a major role. However, the support system still presents many shortcomings for the women in need of assistance. The present study offers innovative and practical suggestions to properly fill these gaps. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T19:39:43Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b02eeb6bfba947d396712d7a1740a499 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1989-9971 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T19:39:43Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Universidad de Alicante |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Alternativas |
| spelling | doaj.art-b02eeb6bfba947d396712d7a1740a4992023-12-25T09:41:51ZengUniversidad de AlicanteAlternativas1989-99712023-01-0130113015110.14198/ALTERN.2126219246The Management of Voluntary Abortion in Family Counselling Services. A Qualitative Study on the Role of Social Workers in ItalyInes Testoni0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2325-6450Giulia Salvalaio1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7934-6407Sara Pompele2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3326-9546Adriano Zamperini3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6800-170XUniversity of PadovaUniversity of PadovaUniversity of PadovaUniversity of PadovaIntroduction. Elective abortion has always been considered taboo. The event can sometimes be experienced as traumatic, as the woman finds herself struggling against a range of emotions: fear, shame, ambivalence, and a sense of guilt. Multidisciplinary support is therefore fundamental to guide women during this complex phase, and social workers usually play a key role in the process. The present study aimed therefore to explore the experiences and perspectives of social workers who worked with women who decided to have abortions, focusing on the strongest and weakest aspects of their support process. Methodology. The study involved 10 social workers working in family counselling services in Italy. All of them were female, with a mean age of 47 years, and a mean of 16.7 years of experience in the field. The study followed a qualitative approach, based on semi-structured interviews that were studied following the principles of thematic analysis. Results. Three fundamental themes emerged from the data analysis: “Limits of the family counselling procedures and organization”; “The emotional dimension of elective abortion”; and “The issue of conscientious objectors”. Discussion. The study highlighted how family counselling services are facing a crisis due to the lack of resources, personnel, and projects allowing for women’s proper sexual education and support. It also showed how the social worker’s role, which is fundamental, has instead been reduced, especially regarding elective abortions. Moreover, there was a lack of social and sanitary contexts integration and professional training that would provide the operators with specific skills and make them feel prepared to address such delicate situations. Conclusions. The need has emerged for a new, multidisciplinary perspective on the issue of voluntary interruption of pregnancy and social workers play a major role. However, the support system still presents many shortcomings for the women in need of assistance. The present study offers innovative and practical suggestions to properly fill these gaps.https://alternativasts.ua.es/article/view/21262social workabortionfamily counselling servicesitalywomen’s health |
| spellingShingle | Ines Testoni Giulia Salvalaio Sara Pompele Adriano Zamperini The Management of Voluntary Abortion in Family Counselling Services. A Qualitative Study on the Role of Social Workers in Italy Alternativas social work abortion family counselling services italy women’s health |
| title | The Management of Voluntary Abortion in Family Counselling Services. A Qualitative Study on the Role of Social Workers in Italy |
| title_full | The Management of Voluntary Abortion in Family Counselling Services. A Qualitative Study on the Role of Social Workers in Italy |
| title_fullStr | The Management of Voluntary Abortion in Family Counselling Services. A Qualitative Study on the Role of Social Workers in Italy |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Management of Voluntary Abortion in Family Counselling Services. A Qualitative Study on the Role of Social Workers in Italy |
| title_short | The Management of Voluntary Abortion in Family Counselling Services. A Qualitative Study on the Role of Social Workers in Italy |
| title_sort | management of voluntary abortion in family counselling services a qualitative study on the role of social workers in italy |
| topic | social work abortion family counselling services italy women’s health |
| url | https://alternativasts.ua.es/article/view/21262 |
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