Pregnancy and Parenting Experiences of Care-Experienced Youth in Ghana and Uganda

Abstract

Although sub-Saharan Africa has the world’s highest rates of early pregnancy, there is little awareness of pregnancy and parenting among young people in out-of-home care in this region. Therefore, this study looked into the experiences of pregnancy and parenting among young women who had been in residential care in Ghana and Uganda. We gathered data from ten parenting care leavers in both countries using semi-structured interviews and then analyzed the data from the interviews thematically. The study’s findings revealed that the young mothers had minimal sexual and reproductive health education, as well as a lack of sufficient monitoring, which predisposed them to early pregnancy. The young mothers indicated that emotional stress, financial and employment obstacles, as well as stigma, were some challenges they had experienced. They used personal motivation and spirituality as coping mechanisms to deal with their challenges. Training caregivers to deliver sexual and reproductive health information, having practitioners who will offer supervision during the semi-independent phase of leaving care, and providing separate housing for young mothers are some implications for practice emerging from the study. Policy implications include the need for social inclusion programs to support the academic, vocational, and parenting skills of young mothers who leave care.

Experiences of Food Insecurity Among Pregnant Adolescents and Adolescent Mothers in Ghana: A Photovoice Method

“…Money is a theme seen often throughout literature as a force behind food insecurity. In similar studies, teenage mothers described the financial constraints that came with motherhood as the greatest barrier to meeting their and their child's nutritional needs [14][15][16][17]. Similar findings have been reported in other studies in Eritrea [18] and the United States [19,20].…”

Double Stigma Among Pregnant Adolescents Living With HIV in Northern Uganda: A Pilot Cross-Sectional Study

“…Studies, including one in the USA, reveal that pregnant adolescents, especially those with unintended pregnancies, often hesitate to disclose their condition due to fear of judgment and discrimination [27]. This trend is consistent across various regions, including Uganda [28], Kenya [29,30], Nigeria [31], Ghana [32], Myanmar [33], and Malaysia [34]. Such stigma has tangible consequences, obstructing access to essential maternal health services like antenatal care and safe delivery options and in uencing critical decisions around pregnancy, sometimes leading to unsafe abortions and increased maternal mortality [35,36].…”

The Importance of Resources and Relationships: An Introduction to the Special Issue on Expectant and Parenting Youth in Foster Care

“…Relatedly, Frimpong-Manso and colleagues ( 2022 ) examined the experiences of pregnant and parenting young women who had been in residential care in Ghana and Uganda found that access to adequate sexual and reproductive health supports was identified as a key factor for early pregnancy. In both countries, access to continued resources after leaving care is limited, and the authors recruited 10 young mothers who had spent time in residential care and a subsequent transitional program to participate in interviews about their experiences of pregnancy and parenting.…”