The focus of the sub-project at the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy II at the University of Ulm are unwanted pregnancies in women with psychological stress. On the one hand, psychologically stressed women are confronted with special challenges and risks in dealing with an unwanted pregnancy. On the other hand, an unwanted pregnancy can produce or intensify psychological stress.
We first assess the psychological stress of women with unintended pregnancies and related contextual factors using standardized instruments. Based on this, we conduct biographical narrative interviews with a subsample of affected women in order to better understand the complex life situations and the handling of an unintended pregnancy as well as the special support needs.