TY  - RPRT
        AU  - Abrahamsson, Sara
AU  - Barschkett, Mara
        TI  - Abortion and Mental Health: Short-Term Distress, Long-Term Recovery
        PY  - 2026/Feb/
        PB  - Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
        CY  - Bonn
        T2  - IZA Discussion Paper
        IS  - 18425
        UR  - https://www.iza.org/index.php/publications/dp18425
        AB  - Abortion remains a highly contested issue in women’s health. Using Norwegian administrative data from a setting with legal and accessible abortion, we estimate  the causal effect of abortion on mental health. Exploiting variation in age-at-abortion within a stacked difference-in-differences design, we find a temporary increase in mental health–related GP visits that dissipates within one to two years. Among women without children, mental health improves in the medium term, along with changes in family dynamics and subsequent childbirth. An alternative matching approach comparing women with and without abortions confirms these findings. We find no evidence of persistent mental health deterioration.
        KW  - abortion
KW  - mental health
KW  - women's health
KW  - age at abortion
        ER  -