Girls cannot be trusted: young men’s perspectives on contraceptive decision making and sexual relationships in Bolgatanga, Ghana

Krugu, John K.; Mevissen, Fraujke E. F.; Flore, Kirsten A.; Ruiter, Robert A. C.

doi:10.1080/13625187.2018.1458225

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 40 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…For instance, one–fifth of women of reproductive age give birth before the age of 18, high awareness rates of modern contraceptive methods are not matched with use, and abortion related stigma remains high despite the relatively liberal nature of the Ghanaian abortion law [17]. Although there have been some studies on sexual and reproductive health decision-making in Ghanaian adolescents, the focus is predominantly on family planning [18,19]. Not many studies have focused on adolescent girls’ decision making experience with pregnancy in Ghana.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

To keep or not to keep? Decision making in adolescent pregnancies in Jamestown, Ghana

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Jamestown, an urban coastal slum in Accra, Ghana, has one of the highest adolescent pregnancy rates in the country. We sought to understand the decision (to keep or terminate) factors and experiences surrounding adolescent pregnancies. Methods Thirty semi-structured indepth interviews were carried out among adolescents (aged 13–19 years) who had been pregnant at least once. Half of these were adolescent mothers and the other half had at least one past experience of induced abortion. A pretested and validated questionnaire to assess the awareness and use of contraception in adolescent participants was also administered. To aid social contextualization, semi-structured in depth interviews were carried out among 23 purposively selected stakeholders. Results The main role players in decision making included family, friends, school teachers and the partner, with pregnant adolescents playing the most prominent role. Adolescents showed a high degree of certainty in deciding to either abort or carry pregnancies to term. Interestingly, religious considerations were rarely taken into account. Although almost all adolescents (96.1%) were aware of contraception, none was using any prior to getting pregnant. Of the 15 adolescents who had had abortion experiences, 13 (87.0%) were carried out under unsafe circumstances. The main barriers to accessing safe abortion services included poor awareness of the fairly liberal nature of the Ghanaian abortion law, stigma, high cost and non-harmonization of safe abortion service fees, negative abortion experiences (death and bleeding), and distrust in the health care providers. Adolescents who chose to continue their pregnancies to term were motivated by personal and sociocultural factors. Conclusion Decision-making in adolescent pregnancies is influenced by multiple external factors, many of which are modifiable. Despite legal access to services, options for the safe termination of pregnancy or its prevention are not predominantly taken, resulting in a high number of negative experiences and outcomes. Including safe abortion care within the sexual and reproductive health package, could diminish barriers to safe abortion services. Given the vulnerability of the Jamestown setting, a comprehensive sexual education package that addresses the main decision factors is recommended. Interventions aiming to reduce adolescent pregnancy rates should also recognize that adolescent pregnancies are culturally acceptable in some settings, and under certain circumstances, are desired by the adolescents themselves.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

To keep or not to keep? Decision making in adolescent pregnancies in Jamestown, Ghana

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…One such example is engaging in risky sexual behaviours, where having multiple partners or engaging in sex without protection is considered a sign of male virility for young men 9,10 Peer pressure may make men who do not fulfil such expectations feel less "manly" and often induces distress and frustration 11 . Gender-based violence, sexual abuse of women and homophobia in expressions of masculinity are some of the widely documented negative consequences [12][13][14] .…”

Section: Norms Of Masculinitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Men, The Missing Link In Gender-equitable Family Planning: A Scoping Review

Seth¹,

Nanda²,

Sahay³

et al. 2022

Gates Open Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Across societies, gender norms often allow men to hold key decision-making power within relationships, households and communities. This extends to almost all domains, consisting of family planning (FP) as well. FP programs have largely engaged men as clients and rarely as equal partners or influencers although across lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs), and especially in South Asia, men hold key decision-making power on the domain of family planning. The objective of this article is to explore couple dynamics through the lens of spousal communication and decision-making and unpack male engagement and spousal dynamics in family planning. Methods: This review presents a synthesis of evidence from two peer-reviewed databases, PubMed and Jstor, and and insights from programmatic documents to shed light on gender equitable engagement of young married men in family planning. Inclusion and exclusion criteria for both these databases was set and search strategies were finalized. This was followed by title and abstract screening, data extraction, synthesis and analysis. Results: Study participants included unmarried men (16%, n=8), married men (19%, n=9), married women (19%, n=9), married couples (25%, n=12) or more than two respondent categories (21%, n=10). Almost three quarters (71%, n=34) of the studies selected had FP as the primary area of inquiry. Other prominent thematics on which the studies reported were around norms (n=9, 16%), couple dynamics and intimacy (n=12, 22%). Conclusions: The evidence presented provides sufficient impetus to expand on gender-equitable male engagement, viewing men as equal and supportive partners for informed, equitable and collaborative contraceptive uptake and FP choices by couples.

show abstract

“… 32 However, rates of male engagement in risky sexual behaviors remain high in Ghana, and young men ultimately play an equally important role in promoting safe sexual practices. 33 Thus, AHCs should consider developing recruitment efforts tailored toward the male demographic to ensure that all adolescents have access to vital information. Additionally, given the elevated odds of club membership among adolescents who had discussed sexual issues with a parent, involving the parents of young men in these recruitment efforts may prove beneficial by reducing stigma or encouraging interest in SRH.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predictors of sexual and reproductive health knowledge and utilization of services among adolescents in Ghana’s Adaklu district

Westerman,

Gyapong,

K. Ansah

et al. 2024

gmj

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective: To explore factors associated with adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health (SRH) knowledge and their engagement with educational and clinical servicesDesign: Regression analysis of secondary data collected during a community surveySetting: Adaklu district, Volta Region, GhanaParticipants: 221 adolescent caregiver pairsMain outcome measures: The study employed three main outcome measures: (1) adolescents’ level of SRH knowledge (assessed via questionnaire), (2) membership in district-sponsored adolescent health clubs (AHCs), and (3) ever-utilization of clinical SRH services.Results: Greater SRH knowledge was significantly associated with older age, AHC membership, and relying primarily on teachers or friends for SRH information. Increased odds of AHC membership were observed among females (AOR = 2.38, 95% CI 1.14-4.95); those who had communicated with one parent about sexual issues (OR 2.70, 95% CI 1.17-6.21); and those with a history of transactional sex (OR 5.53, 95% CI 1.04-29.37). Decreased odds were observed among adolescents whose caregivers were educated to the primary level (AOR = 0.24, 95% CI = 0.07-0.79). Overall, utilization of clinical SRH services was low, but higher odds were detected among individuals reporting a history of forced sex (AOR = 117.07, 95% CI 3.82-3588.52) and those who had discussed sexual issues with both oftheir parents (AOR = 13.11, 95% CI 1.85-92.93).Conclusions: Awareness of the predictors of knowledge, AHC involvement, and clinical service utilization can empower adolescent SRH initiatives—both present and future—to enhance their teaching, develop targeted outreach to underserved groups, and promote engagement with key clinical resources.

show abstract

Girls cannot be trusted: young men’s perspectives on contraceptive decision making and sexual relationships in Bolgatanga, Ghana

Abstract: There is a need to emphasise condom use in established relationships. There should also be more discussion of issues surrounding fidelity and gender equality, as part of sexuality programmes aimed at boys in Ghana and in similar cultures.

Cited by 7 publications

References 40 publications

To keep or not to keep? Decision making in adolescent pregnancies in Jamestown, Ghana

To keep or not to keep? Decision making in adolescent pregnancies in Jamestown, Ghana

Men, The Missing Link In Gender-equitable Family Planning: A Scoping Review

Predictors of sexual and reproductive health knowledge and utilization of services among adolescents in Ghana’s Adaklu district

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About