This paper outlines a proposed sociological study investigating the relationship between abortion restrictions and women's mental health outcomes. It describes a cross-sectional research design using quota and purposive sampling drawn from an infinite population of women affected by abortion ban policies, with a target sample size of 1,000 to 5,000 participants. The paper identifies mental health as the dependent variable and defines two independent variables: the likelihood of being denied an abortion and residence in states with restrictive abortion laws. It details the seven-step data-collection process, including IRB approval, online survey distribution, and data entry, providing a clear methodological framework for examining the psychological impact of restrictive reproductive legislation.
This study investigates how abortion restrictions affect women's mental health. Using a structured quantitative approach, the research examines the psychological impact of restrictive reproductive legislation on women who are pregnant or considering abortion.
The sample is drawn from an infinite population of women affected by abortion ban policies (Kozak, 2008). Participants are selected using quota and purposive sampling — a method in which individuals are chosen by setting specific criteria and identifying participants with certain characteristics (Martínez-Mesa et al., 2016), such as being pregnant or in the process of deciding whether to seek an abortion. The preferred sample size would be between 1,000 and 5,000 women.
The dependent variable in this study is mental health. The measurement level of this variable is interval. An example survey question to measure this variable is: "Do you think the government law can protect the pregnancy after rape?"
The first independent variable is higher chance of being denied an abortion, for which the measurement level is ordinal. An example survey question to measure this variable is: "Do you think the government would allow freedom to choose abortion if it resulted from rape?"
The second independent variable is states with restrictive abortion laws, for which the measurement level is either ordinal or nominal. An example survey question to measure this variable is: "Do you think the restrictions of the state would allow abortion if it resulted from rape?"
"Seven-step cross-sectional survey data collection"
"Cited sources for methodology and sampling"
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