The Mother’s Role in Mother-Child Relationship Among Adolescents with Unwanted Pregnancies

The mother’s role is essential in an adolescent’s development due to the challenges of life and exposure to the outside world, which affect and constantly change the mother’s role. This study intends to explore the experiences of the mother’s roles in the mother-child relationship among adolescents with unwanted pregnancies. A phenomenological approach was employed to obtain the essence of the experiences. A total of 10 participants comprising of five pregnant adolescents and their mothers were interviewed to understand the role played by the adolescents’ mothers during the pregnancy. A diary was distributed among the adolescents to allow them to externalise and express the experiences that they had with their mothers while being pregnant. This study used thematic analysis because it is flexible in interpreting the data and allows to approach large data sets more easily by sorting them into broad themes. Five themes emerged as follows: (a) supervising and monitoring, (b) rules and regulations, (c) showing affection, (d) educating adolescents, and (e) giving encouragement and support. This study provided insights on the mothers’ struggles in raising their adolescents which were highlighted from two perspectives: adolescents and mothers. The findings revealed the challenges faced by the mothers with various types of family structure.

Obstetrical Ultrasound During Pregnancy

No relevant evidence was identified comparing the safety of frequent obstetrical ultrasounds compared to the routine use of obstetrical ultrasound during pregnancy. This review identified 10 evidence-based guidelines that provided recommendations regarding various indications for obstetrical ultrasound, as well as the frequency of obstetrical ultrasound; however, the methodological rigour of these guidelines is limited and recommendations should be interpreted with caution. One guideline recommended against obstetrical ultrasound for non-medical purposes and recommended that ultrasound exposure be as low as reasonably possible during pregnancy. These recommendations were based on moderate-quality evidence and expert opinion, and should be interpreted with caution. The guidelines made recommendations for specific patient populations for whom more frequent obstetrical ultrasound examinations may be required. These populations included pregnancies affected by certain congenital infections, people pregnant with twins, pregnant adolescents, and pregnant people at high risk for fetal anomalies or for whom mid-trimester transabdominal ultrasound would be challenging.

DINÁMICA FAMILIAR EN LA ADOLESCENTE EMBARAZADA DE LA COMUNIDAD DE LASSO-ECUADOR.

Introducción: el embarazo en la adolescencia es un problema de salud pública, que genera graves consecuencias personales, sociales y económicas. Objetivo: Determinar la dinámica familiar en la adolescente embarazada de la Comunidad de Lasso-Ecuador. Métodos: Estudio cuantitativo-cualitativo, transversal y descriptivo en una muestra no pirobalística por conveniencia de 12 adolescentes embarazadas, con sus respectivos padres, pertenecientes a la Comunidad de Lasso, de la Parroquia Tan cuchi, Cantón Latacunga, Provincia de Cotopaxi, Ecuador. Los datos se recolectaron mediante una entrevista semiestructurada y la aplicación de un test FF-SIL diseñado para evaluar la funcionalidad familiar en los adolescentes. Resultados Las adolescentes embarazadas no pertenecen a una familia funcional debido a la falta de afectividad y cohesión entre sus miembros, el (58.33%) de las adolescentes viven con sus padres forjando así vínculos afectivos de tal manera que conciernen a una familia moderadamente funcional, seguido del (33.33%) perteneciente a una familia disfuncional y en un (8.33%) no reflejan ningún vínculo familiar, por lo que se considera que su núcleo familiar es severamente disfuncional. De esta manera la falta de cohesión y comunicación de los padres se asocia a una conducta de riesgo alta en el desarrollo de las adolescentes. Conclusiones: Se evidenció que las adolescentes no cuentan con el suficiente apoyo familiar, desencadenando así una serie de conflictos, desconfianza y separación con los miembros de la familia. Por lo cual es muy importante mencionar que durante la adolescencia la comunicación y atención por parte de los padres adquiere relevancia en la dinámica familiar. Palabras Clave: Sexualidad; embarazo en adolescentes; dinámica familiar, padres. ABSTRACT Introduction: teenage pregnancy is a public health problem, which generates serious personal, social and economic consequences. Objective: To determine the family dynamics in the pregnant adolescent of the Community of Lasso-Ecuador. Methods: Quantitative-qualitative, cross-sectional and descriptive study in a non-pyro-ballistic convenience sample of 12 pregnant adolescents, with their respective parents, belonging to the Lasso Community, Tan Cuchi Parish, Latacunga Canton, Cotopaxi Province, Ecuador. Data were collected through a semi-structured interview and the application of an FF-SIL test designed to assess family functionality in adolescents. Results: The pregnant adolescents do not belong to a functional family due to the lack of affectivity and cohesion among its members, (58.33%) of the adolescents live with their parents, thus forging affective bonds in such a way that they concern a moderately functional family, followed of the (33.33%) belonging to a dysfunctional family and in a (8.33%) they do not reflect any family bond, for which it is considered that their family nucleus is severely dysfunctional. In this way, the lack of cohesion and communication of the parents is associated with a high risk behavior in the development of adolescents. Conclusions: It was evidenced that adolescents do not have sufficient family support, thus triggering a series of conflicts, distrust and separation with family members. Therefore, it is very important to mention that during adolescence, communication and attention by parents acquires relevance in family dynamics. Keywords: Sexuality; pregnancy in adolescence; family dinamics, parents.

Silence as Self-care: Pregnant Adolescents and Adolescent Mothers Concealing Paternity in Mahama Refugee Camp, Rwanda

In Rwanda, sexual activity with and among adolescents under the age of 18 is a criminal offence. This is justified to reduce abuse and adolescent pregnancies. Despite this, the Burundian Mahama refugee camp in Rwanda is registering an escalating pregnancy rate among girls 13 to 15 years old. Drawing on ethnographic research conducted from December 2017 to April 2018, this paper shows how pregnant adolescents and adolescent mothers navigate punitive legal structures to protect their baby’s father by concealing his identity. In a challenging socioeconomic context with limited opportunities, silence provides pregnant adolescents and adolescent mothers with a strategy to protect their boyfriends from jail and to access humanitarian assistance available to single mothers. I suggest that silence can be a self-care strategy to negotiate and navigate temporalities as they seek to manage the circumstances in which they find themselves, whilst hoping for a better future for themselves and their children.

Pregnant adolescents and nurses perspectives on accessibility and utilization of maternal and child health information in Ohangwena Region, Namibia

Background The reasons for the inability of most pregnant adolescent girls to access and utilize maternal and child health information (MCHI) are not well-documented. This is despite the policy guidelines promoting the provision of this necessary information to pregnant adolescents in order to prepare them for delivery. This provision is one of the strategies envisaged to improve their attendance of ANC visits and their maternal and child health. Method Data for this study were collected using semi-structured in-depth interviews. These were conducted with 12 adolescent pregnant girls between the ages of 15 and 19 and eight nurses from four different health centres in the Ohangwena Region of Namibia. The study was conducted over the period of three months (December 2018 to March 2019). The data was grouped into clusters aided by NVivo computer software version 12. Data were organized and condensed in small units, prior to being coded, categorized, and finally grouped into main themes and sub-themes. Results Results revealed that long travel hours to reach the nearest clinics was amongst the leading challenges affecting accessibility and utilization of MCHI for pregnant adolescent girls. This was exacerbated by poor support with transport fare, poor road infrastructure and non-availability of transport, and these factors were key barriers to accessibility and utilization of clinic services. Other barriers pertained to the family dynamics, such as disclosing the pregnancy to the family members prior to commencing antenatal care (ANC) visits and harsh treatment from family members after the disclosure. Conclusion The pregnant adolescent girls were concerned about their inability to access and utilize MCHI. The challenges identified made them susceptible to maternal complications, hence their inability to access relevant MCHI to prepare them for pregnancy. Health educational interventions should prioritize both the adolescent girls and their families for proper support, especially since the reactions of families on the pregnancy of their adolescent girls often negatively affect accessibility and utilization of maternal and child health services. Moreover, further research on adolescents' needs during pregnancy should be expanded to include their parents, in order to better inform policymakers.

Positive Negative Affect and Teen Pregnancy

Pregnancy is one of the important events in a woman’s life. Having a positive and planned pregnancy will impact the psychological well-being of both mother and baby. This study describes the relationship between the affect and demographics of pregnant adolescents. Respondents consisted of 92 pregnant adolescents (19.6% trimester 1, 41.3% trimester 2 and 39.1% trimester 3), with an age range of 16 to 35 years (M = 18.99, SD = 2.899). Pregnant adolescents were asked to fill in the positive and negative influence scale (PANAS). The correlation coefficient of Cronbach’s alpha for the positive influence scale is 0.845. The correlation coefficient of Cronbach’s alpha for the negative influence scale is 0.676. Researchers used Chi-Square to determine the relationship between positive and negative influences with the demographic characteristics of adolescent mothers. The results of the description of the Positive affect were related to age (Asymp. Sig. = 0.000) and gestational age (Asymp. Sig. = 0.009). In contrast, the Negative affect was related to adolescent education (Asymp. Sig. = 0.013). These results underlie the process of adaptation of adolescent mothers in undergoing a healthy and planned pregnancy.