Peer-reviewed article
Identifying the causes and consequences of pregnancy in Iranian Kurdish women under the age of 18: A grounded theory study.
Yoosefi Lebni J, Ahmadi A, Irandoost SF, Saki M, Safari H et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This qualitative study explored why Iranian Kurdish girls under 18 become pregnant and what happens to them afterward. Researchers interviewed 26 young mothers and 17 experts to understand the causes and effects. The study found that teenage pregnancy results from a mix of social and cultural beliefs, family pressures, lack of contraceptive knowledge, and limited access to contraception. The consequences include serious health risks for both mother and child, though some young mothers also experienced increased family support.
Key points
- Predisposing factors include social learning, misconceptions about fertility, and stigma prevention
- Individual factors: lack of knowledge about pregnancy prevention, fear of contraceptive side effects, and desire to escape loneliness
- Family factors: pressure from husband and in-laws, and using pregnancy to secure family position
- Destructive consequences include threats to child and mother's health and inadequate access to healthcare
- Some constructive consequences: increased family support and strengthened sense of empowerment in mothers
Limitations
This is a qualitative study based on interviews with a specific population (Iranian Kurdish women), so findings may not be generalizable to other regions or ethnic groups. The study identifies correlates and experiences but cannot establish causal relationships or provide quantitative prevalence data.
Abstract
Background Since teenage pregnancy is one of the major challenges for healthcare systems worldwide and can pose risks to the health of young mothers and their infants, the present study was conducted to identify the Identifying the causes and consequences of pregnancy in Iranian Kurdish women under the age of 18. Method The present qualitative research was conducted using the grounded theory method among women with experience of pregnancy under the age of 18 and key informants who had experience and knowledge in this field. Data were collected through semi-structured face-to-face interviews with 26 women and 17 key informants who were selected through purposive, snowball, and theoretical sampling methods. Sampling continued until theoretical saturation. The data were collected and analyzed for 8 months, from November 2021 to June 2022. Data analysis was performed based on the approach of Strauss and Corbin in the MAXQDA-2018 software environment. The Guba and Lincoln criteria were observed to ensure the trustworthiness of the data and results. Results After the data analysis and coding process, the conceptual model of causes and consequences of pregnancy in adolescents emerged, including 1) predisposing conditions (sociocultural factors: Social learning, misconceptions about fertility and childbirth, preventing stigma), 2) causal conditions (individual factors: lack of knowledge on how to prevent pregnancy, improper use of contraceptives, inadequate knowledge about the risks of pregnancy in adolescence, fear of the side effects of using contraceptives, filling the vacuum of loneliness, family factors: husband's and his family's pressure, committing her husband to life, consolidating her position in family), 3) intervening conditions (structural factors: no barriers to pregnancy, difficult access to contraceptives), 4) strategies and interactions (positive reactions: trying to prepare herself for raising a child, taking better care of herself and her child, negative reactions: trying to kill herself and the kid, fear and concealment), and 5) consequences (destructive consequences: threats to the health of the child, threat to mother's health, inadequate access to health services, constructive consequences: increase of support, strengthen the sense of empowerment). Conclusion Pregnancy in adolescence is influenced by socio-cultural, family, personal, and structural factors that can lead to positive and negative consequences for women, which in most cases make the lives and health of them and their children difficult. The findings of the study can be used in the areas of health and social policy, program planning, and designing interventions and educational programs aimed at changing beliefs and cultural attitudes related to pregnancy under the age of 18 at the individual, family, and societal levels.