Lived experiences of pregnant adolescents within a district of the Northern Cape
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Date
2023
Authors
Khara, Relebohile Silvia
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of the Free State
Abstract
Adolescent pregnancy is a significant issue in the world. According to the WHO (2020), globally, approximately 21 million adolescents between the ages of 15 and 19 in developing regions become pregnant annually, and 12 million of those adolescents give birth. Furthermore, 777 000 births occur among adolescents younger than 15 years from developing countries. The rate of adolescent pregnancy remains high in developing countries. In South Africa, birth rates among adolescents remain high in some of the provinces. Gaining insight into adolescents’ experiences may clarify the escalation of adolescent pregnancy and other related factors in the Northern Cape. It is against this background that the purpose of the study was to explore and describe the lived experiences of pregnant adolescents within a district of the Northern Cape.
The study opted for a qualitative research approach to explore and describe the lived experiences of pregnant adolescents within a district of the Northern Cape. This study was further guided by an interpretivist paradigm, where phenomenology was chosen as tradition of inquiry. Unstructured in-depth interviews were conducted to gather data from nine purposively sampled pregnant adolescents who met the inclusion criteria. Empirical data were thematically analysed to construct comprehensible categories of meanings in relation to both the investigated problem and main purpose of the study.
The results of the study reveal that participants were confronted with myriads of challenges, such as psychosocial challenges, impressions of being pregnant and emotions incurred. Social support (family and partner) was viewed as a fundamental instrument which aided participants to pull through with their pregnancy.
As such, the key recommendation of the study addresses nursing education and practice, as well as future research.
Description
Dissertation (M.Sc.(Nursing))--University of the Free State, 2023
Keywords
Pregnant adolescent, lived experiences, pregnancy, Northern Cape