Abortion Attitude of Nurses: A Cognitive Dissonance Perspective

Abstract

Attitude formation and/or change has implication for nursing. The attitude of the nurse is said to influence the care received and how it is preceived by the client. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between abortion attitudes of nurses and cognitive dissonance theory. Findings reveal that nursing students studied became more positive toward abortion after clinical experience with abortion and, as a group, 64% favored unrestricted abortion. Since the majority of the subjects studied were positive toward abortion, they should be able to function effectively with clients seeking abortion health care services.