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Parent-Adolescent Communication on Sexual and Reproductive Health: Perceptions and Experiences of Out-Of-School Adolescent Mothers in the East Gonja Municipality, Ghana
Article Number: SIS742139AI101222
10th December, 2022
Author(s):
Richmond Nketia
Abstract:
Social
institutions such as family have an important role to play in shaping
adolescent sexual behaviour, and parents remain central to this responsibility.
Available evidence suggests that adolescent girls who are engaged in a healthy
parent-child communications on sexual and reproductive health (SRH) (e.g. sex,
contraception, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) prevention) at an
early age are more likely to learn or adopt safe sexual behaviors. This
qualitative study explored the perceptions and experiences of out-of-school
adolescent mothers on parent-child SRH communications. Sixty-four (64) participants were recruited from the antenatal
care (ANC) unit of the East Gonja Municipal Hospital in Salaga, Ghana, through purposive
sampling technique. Data were collected
from six focus group discussions (FGDs) and thematic analyses were conducted
using ATLAS.ti version 9. The results of the FGDs were presented using
illuminating verbatim quotations. In all the FGDs, parents were cited as an
important source of SRH information. Parent-adolescent conversations on SRH
were often initiated by the female parent and this often took the form of
case-base discussion. However, most participants indicated were unsatisfied
with the topics discussed and the context in which parent-adolescent SRH
communications were conducted. Lack of trust, perceived authoritative and
insensitive nature of male parents to the needs and plights of adolescent girls,
and socio-cultural norms restricting/prohibiting open discussions on SRH,
especially those concerning sexuality and contraception, were mentioned as
barriers to effective parent-adolescent SRH communications. Parent-adolescent
SRH communications were lately initiated, infrequent, and often did not address
the most important aspects of adolescent SRH.