Peer-reviewed article
Exploring Indonesian adolescent women's healthcare needs as they transition to motherhood: A qualitative study.
Erfina Erfina, Widyawati Widyawati, Lisa McKenna, Sonia Reisenhofer, Djauhar Ismail ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This qualitative study explored the postnatal healthcare experiences and needs of eleven adolescent mothers in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. The research found that adolescent mothers faced significant challenges including breastfeeding problems, feeling disempowered in caring for their babies, and limited healthcare support beyond basic hospital procedures. Healthcare staff did not recognize the broader physical, educational and psychological needs of adolescent mothers during their critical transition to motherhood. The study concludes that adolescent mothers need compassionate, specialized health education and psychological support from midwives during the postpartum period.
Key points
- All eleven adolescent mothers experienced breastfeeding problems and feelings of disempowerment in caring for their babies after birth
- Healthcare provision was limited to mandatory hospital tasks without recognition of adolescent mothers' broader developmental needs
- Adolescent mothers require compassionate health education, support and psychological care from midwives in the postpartum ward before hospital discharge
- Adolescent mothers face multiple simultaneous developmental challenges related to transition into adulthood, marriage, pregnancy and mothering responsibilities
- Specific, appropriate interventions are needed to support adolescent mothers' transition and adaptation to their new roles
Limitations
This qualitative study with eleven participants provides in-depth understanding of experiences but is not generalizable beyond the study population. The study does not evaluate the effectiveness of any specific intervention, so it cannot tell us what solutions would work best for these healthcare needs.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Marriage and underage childbirth is a phenomenon of increasing incidence globally. Adolescent mothers simultaneously encounter multiple developmental challenges related to transition into adulthood, marriage, pregnancy and mothering responsibilities. Despite this, studies investigating postpartum care needs for adolescent mothers are limited. AIMS: The aim of this study was to explore adolescent mothers' postnatal inpatient experiences and healthcare needs as they moved towards their maternal roles. METHODS: A descriptive qualitative design was adopted to better understand experiences of adolescent mothers during their transition to becoming mothers. Data were collected using in-depth interviews with eleven adolescent mothers in hospital settings in South Sulawesi, Indonesia and analysed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Four major themes emerged: (1) breastfeeding problems, (2) disempowerment in caring for the baby, (3) health care encounters, and (4) health care needs for adolescent motherhood transition. DISCUSSION: Breastfeeding problems and feeling disempowered in caring for their babies after birth was experienced by all adolescent mothers in this study. Furthermore, the health care provided was limited to mandatory hospital tasks with staff failing to recognize adolescent mothers' broader needs. The findings suggest that adolescent mothers need compassionate health education, support and psychological care from midwives in the postpartum ward before hospital discharge. CONCLUSION: The results highlight important issues in postnatal care provision for adolescent mothers in improving their maternal roles during the transition period. Specific, appropriate interventions for adolescent mothers are needed to support their transition and adaptation to their new roles.