Peer-reviewed article
Exploring the lived experiences of pregnant and breastfeeding teenage mothers in the conflict and post conflict Acholi sub Region, Uganda.
Odoch FA, Damulira C, Frank KP, Robert WO, Twimukye A ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This qualitative study explored the lived experiences of 15 pregnant and breastfeeding teenage mothers in Uganda's Acholi sub-region, which was affected by two decades of armed conflict. The researchers found that before pregnancy, these teenagers faced extreme hardship including orphanhood, school dropout, poverty, and large family responsibilities. During and after pregnancy, about 80 percent were sole parents facing stigma, worry, limited childcare skills, and inadequate basic resources. The study concludes that the conflict-weakened social fabric and family structures contributed significantly to teenage pregnancy.
Key points
- Prior to pregnancy, participants experienced orphanhood, school dropout, single parenthood, lack of basic needs, and large family size
- Close to 80% of pregnant and lactating teenage mothers were sole parents
- Stigma, worry, limited baby care skills, and inadequate basic needs characterized their experiences during and after pregnancy
- Two decades of LRA conflict (1986-2006) weakened family and societal structures, contributing to teenage pregnancy
- Study recommends sexuality education, mentorship, and skills building for young parents
Limitations
This is a small qualitative study with 15 participants using purposive sampling, so findings cannot be generalized to all teenage mothers in Uganda or the region. The study documents experiences but does not establish causal relationships or measure outcomes of any intervention.
Abstract
Background Globally, the ever-increasing numbers of teenage pregnancies reported is worrying, despite the commitment of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) declaration, 1994. Behind these numbers, there are voluminous untold stories. This study documented vividly the lived experiences of teenage pregnant and breastfeeding mothers born during the Lord's Resistance Army LRA war in Acholi sub region that lasted for two decades (1986-2006). Methods Qualitative cross-sectional case study design was used. Data was collected between January-March 2020. We interviewed 15 pregnant and lactating teenage mothers who were purposively selected. Data was collected using in-depth interviews (IDI) and analysed thematically using atlas ti version 5. Results The lived experiences prior to their pregnancy, characterized by orphan-hood, school drop out, single parenthood, lack of basic needs and large family size posed server hardships and were detrimental. Equally, their experiences during and after pregnancy was troublesome as close to 80% of the participants were sole parenting. Stigma, worries, limited baby care skills and inadequate basic needs all mirrored very gloomy lived experiences of the teenage pregnant and breastfeeding mothers. Conclusion The hardship life experienced prior to the teenage pregnancy was so detrimental and as such greatly contributed to the teenage pregnancy and motherhood. These factors were largely caused by the two decades of the LRA war that weakened the family and societal fabrics. The study recommends promotion of sexuality education, mentorship and skills building for young parents (mothers).