Attitudes of Students of Medicine, University of Mostar According to Induced Abortion.

Background: Aim of this study was to establish attitudes of medical students on induced abortion and connection of those attitudes with religiousness, length of their studies, sex and various circumstances of pregnancy.
Subjects and Methods: In total, 148 students of the first, second, fifth and sixth year of medical faculty participated in the research. The study was conducted at the Medical Faculty of the University in Mostar. While collecting the data, we used a survey taken over from literature. The data were tested with adequate statistical methods afterwards.
Results: 81.1% of students would perform an abortion under certain circumstances (χ ² =57.189; P<0.001). Most students answered that they would perform an abortion in case that a fetus had malformations (χ ² =3.892; P=0.49) or if the mother's life were endangered (χ ² =47.676; P<0.001). By comparison of students' readiness to perform an abortion under various circumstances of pregnancy depending on length of medical education, statistically significant difference was proved in the following circumstances: rape (χ ² =6.097; P=0.014) and if the pregnancy would endanger mother's mental health (χ ² =4.488; P=0.034). Students with shorter medical education expressed more liberal attitudes in the above stated circumstances. By comparison of students' readiness to perform an abortion under various circumstances of pregnancy depending on religiousness statistically significant difference was proved in the following circumstances: in case of 'abortion on demand', no matter the reason (χ ² =11.908; P=0.012), teenage pregnancy (χ ² =33.308; P<0.001) and if the pregnancy would interfere with mother's career χ ² =35.897; P<0.001). Unreligious students expressed more liberal attitudes.
Conclusion: Influence of length of medical education and sex on attitudes on abortion was not proved statistically. Impact of religiousness on that attitude cannot be commented due to very small share of unreligious students in the sample.