Survivors of Sexual Trauma: Abortion Experiences of Black Women in the Southern United States

Women who experience both sexual trauma and abortion within their lifetime are highly likely to struggle with serious mental health symptoms; however, social work students and practitioners lack education and knowledge on how to serve these women. Recent events, including the uprising of gender and race related movements, COVID-19, heightened political division, and increased governmental control on abortion rights also impact social-work practice. Acknowledging intersectionality, the purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of abortion for Black women in the Southern United States who have a history of sexual trauma. The experiences of 6 Black women with a history of sexual trauma and abortion who reside in the Southern United States were explored using an online self-administered survey. Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyze the data, resulting in the following themes: importance of voice/choice, unmet support needs, unresolved sexual trauma impacts abortion experiences, negative impact of internal and external conflicts, racialized and gendered healthcare experiences, and individual needs for healing process. The Trauma-Informed Socially Just Research (TISJR) framework was used to guide this study, incorporating important concepts of trauma-informed care and intersectionality. The findings of this study may be used by social-work practitioners and other community stakeholders to create positive social change for people of color.