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5-2010
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Mary J. Ball
Western Michigan University
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Ball, Mary J., "The Abortion Attitudes of Counselor, Social Worker, and Nursing Trainees" (2010).
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THE ABORTION ATTITUDES OF COUNSELOR,
SOCIAL WORK, AND NURSING TRAINEES
by
Mary J. Ball
A Dissertation
Submitted to the
Faculty of The Graduate College
in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the
Degree of Doctor of Philosophy
Department of Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology
Advisor: Alan J. Hovestadt, Ed.D.
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, Michigan
May 2010
THE ABORTION ATTITUDES OF COUNSELOR,
SOCIAL WORK, AND NURSING TRAINEES
Mary J. Ball, Ph.D.
Western Michigan University, 2010
This study examined the similarities and dissimilarities in abortion attitudes
among counselors (CTs, n = 51), social workers (SWTs, n = 42), and nurses in training
(NTs, n = 78), based on profession, age, race, gender, and religion. Data were analyzed
using analysis of variance and standard multiple regression. It was predicted that
profession, religion, age, gender, and race would predict the abortion attitudes of CTs,
SWTs, and NTs in training. It was also predicted that the attitudes of CTs and SWTs
would be most similar, and that both of these groups would hold more positive abortion
attitudes than NTs. The results indicated that religion, age, gender, and race do not
significantly predict abortion attitudes in CTs, SWTs, and NTs. The abortion attitudes
of CTs, SWTs, and NTs in this study were too similar to reveal the unique contribution
of professional socialization on abortion attitudes. The majority of the CTs, SWTs, and
NTs were "pro-choice," as measured by self-report and the RAQ (Parsons et al., 1990).
This study provides preliminary information on CT, SWT, and NT abortion attitudes,
abortion knowledge, and professional ethical positions related to abortion that might be
useful to counseling, social work, and nurse training programs.
UMI Number: 3410392
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UMT
Dissertation Publishing
UMI 3410392
Copyright 2010 by ProQuest LLC.
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Copyright by
Mary J. Ball
2010
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am very thankful for not having to take this journey alone. Through the support
of family, dear friends, colleagues, supervisors, mentors, my committee, and my dog, I
can say with great enthusiasm, "Phinally Done!" First, however, I would like to thank my
family for their continued support of my education. Thank you to my mom, Nancy (Bird)
Ball, my dad, Bruce Ball, and my sister, Elizabeth Ball.
On the path to finishing my degree, I have been blessed with the love and support
of extraordinary friends. Dr. Monica Thiagarajan was the greatest gift of my doctoral
program. The friendship of her and her partner, Keith Bradburn, has been greatly
treasured and invaluable to me. Monica and Keith bestowed up on me an even higher
honor than Ph.D., in naming me godmother to their son, Abishek Philip Bradburn.
I also feel very fortunate for having landed at John Carroll University. It was there
that I met my "Dissertation Support Group," Dr. Allison West and Dr. Kathleen Lis Dean.
Supportive collegial relationships very quickly evolved into valued friendships. The
support and friendship of my colleagues in the University Counseling Center, Dr. John
Ropar and Dr. Mary Beth Javorek, have been beyond measure. Their empathy and
encouragement has been boundless. A heartfelt thank you to Mary Beth Kelley and the
broader JCU community for their continued support as well.
Excellent supervisors and mentors have provided priceless support and guidance
over the many years. Thank you to Dr. K. Roger VanHorn and Kay VanHorn, Dr. Phame
ii
Acknowledgments—Continued
Camarena and Dr. Pamela Sarigiani, and Dr. Ross Rappaport at Central Michigan
University. I am so grateful to have been trained, supervised, and mentored by Dr. Bill
Divane, formerly of Albion College. I aspire to provide the same unmatched quality of
supervision and therapy to students in my own career. He has been a tremendous
influence on me as a therapist. Thank you to Dr. Ellie Bossi (retired) and Dr. John Lee at
Michigan State University. I count Dr. Bossi among my valued feminist role models.
Thank you to Dr. Sarah Toman. The unfailing support of Dr. Matthew Rushlau, formerly
of Western Michigan University, is beyond measure. He was always there for me as a
supervisor, mentor, and now as a friend.
My heartfelt thank you and appreciation also goes out to my committee. I was
fortunate to know Dr. Norm Kiracofe as professor and supervisor, as well as committee
member. I am indebted for his willingness to continue to serve on my committee post-
retirement. Thank you to Dr. Karen Horneffer-Ginter, for her insight and support, and for
adding an additional woman's voice to my dissertation. Dr. John Geisler (retired)
provided valuable edits and was very generous with his time. And lastly, thank you so
much to Dr. Alan Hovestadt. From our first meeting during my pre-admission interview
until today, he has provided guidance and support, allowing me to proceed at my own
pace, and celebrated program milestones with me every step of the way. I would also like
to extend a thank you to Dr. Patrick Munley, my former training director, professor,
supervisor, and now department chair.
iii
Acknowledgments—Continued
Additionally, I would like to thank other family and friends, who have each been
important to me in different ways. Thank you to Kristen Antonyak for her friendship in
the first year of our program. Thank you to Dr. Coleen Harrington Barry for her
friendship, especially during our year together at Albion College and through the pre-
doctoral internship application process.
A special thank you to Sadie, Emma, Olivia, and Cate Ball. Thank you to Avery
Ball, my constant source of love and companionship. Thank you to my grandmothers,
Mable (Hernden) Bird and Dorothy (Clare) Ball. Even though they are gone, I carry them
with me, and they have helped shape the woman and I am today. Lastly, thank you to the
other important women in my life, my aunts, Lana (Woodruff) Ball and Ruth (Kukura)
Ball. Every single person in this acknowledgment has influenced me personally and
professionally. I share this achievement with you.
Mary J. Ball
iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ii
LIST OF TABLES xi
CHAPTER
I. INTRODUCTION 1
Statement of the Problem 1
Purpose of the Study 2
Statement of the Research Hypotheses 6
Definition of Terms 7
Organization of the Remainder of the Study 9
H. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE 10
Roe v. Wade (1973) 10
Abortion Attitude Factors 12
Abortion Attitude and Occupation 15
Social Work and Nurse 15
Medicine 16
Abortion Attitude and Religion 16
Measurement of Abortion Attitudes 43
Professional Ethics and Abortion 53
Summary 60
v
Table of Contents—Continued
CHAPTER
Profession 60
Race/Ethnicity 62
Religion 62
Gender 62
Future Research 63
m. METHODOLOGY AND DESIGN 65
Overview 65
Statistical Analysis 65
Procedures 68
Instruments 70
Demographic Form 70
Reasoning About Abortion Questionnaire (RAQ) 70
Abortion Knowledge Scale (AKS) 80
Demographics of the Entire Sample 84
Participants 84
Data Collections Sites 85
Profession 88
Race 88
Gender 89
Religion 89
vi
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