Pregnancy is an accomplishment in many cases. However, when it occurs early especially during schooling, it can be an obstacle to the development of adolescent girls, with a significant psychosocial impact. In Côte d'Ivoire, more than 4000 cases of school pregnancy were reported in 2017. The objective of this study was to describe the psychosocial impact of early pregnancy among selected students in the commune of Abidjan. We conducted a cross-sectional, descriptive study of adolescent girls who visited the health centers for their pre- or post-natal consultation. A total of 95 girls were included in our study. Of these, 53.68% were in their first cycle of secondary school. More than half, i.e. 52.63%, were between 12 and 17 years of age, and 91% were primigravida. Pregnancies were mostly unwanted (83%), while almost all sexual intercourse was consensual and unprotected. The occurrence of pregnancy had a negative psychosocial impact that manifested itself emotionally through a painful experience. Indeed, 66.07% of the girls considered abortion as soon as the pregnancy was announced. In 33.3% of cases, the abortion attempts were successful. The emotional state of these students was marked by feelings of discouragement, self-deprecation with lowered self-esteem, guilt and shame in 53%; 47.36%; 28.42% and 21.05% respectively. Sub-depressive states were also recorded in 31.58% of the students, manifested by insomnia, anorexia and sadness with crying. At school level, a drop in performance was noted in 58.95% of cases, and 22.10% dropped out. As for social relations, they were marked by the genesis of conflicts leading to abandonment both at the family level and from the perpetrators of the pregnancy in respectively 31.58% and 32.63%. In light of the above, it is clear that the occurrence of an adolescent pregnancy while in school has a negative psychological, educational and social impact.
| Published in | American Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience (Volume 9, Issue 3) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.ajpn.20210903.19 |
| Page(s) | 126-129 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Early Pregnancy, Psychological Experience, Students, Abidjan
| [1] | Dagnogo GB. Pregnancy in schools through the lens of communication for behavior change. Dissertation in the Department of Sociology Alassane Ouattara University; 2014. |
| [2] | Kouakou BJP, Konan AT. Determinants and impacts of early pregnancy in Ivorian schools. International Journal of Advanced Education and Research; 2018. Vol 3 (1); p 47-53. |
| [3] | WHO 2018. Adolescent pregnancy. Key facts 2018. https://www.who.int/fr/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-pregnancy (Accessed 07/07/2020). |
| [4] | Goyette M, Mann-Feder V, Turcotte M-E, Pontbriand A, Corneau M, Royer M-N. Young women at risk of early motherhood and young pregnant or parenting women from youth centers: their profile, their future and avenues of intervention to support their transition to adulthood. http://archives.enap.ca/bibliotheques/2012/01/030277548.pdf (consulted on 30/07/2020). |
| [5] | Berrewaerts J, Noirhomme-Renard F. Teenage pregnacies: what are the explanatory factors identified in the literature? Wolume-Saint-Lambert (Belgium): Catholic University of Louvain-Reso. 2006. Ref: 06-40. |
| [6] | UNFPA. Study on school pregnancies in Burundi, 2013 report. https://burundi.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/resource-pdf/ (accessed July 07, 2020). |
| [7] | Mbow F, Diop N, Diop AD, Tounkara AC, and Ba SD. "The experience of women with unwanted pregnancies in Senegal: A qualitative study," STEP UP Research Report. Dakar: Population Council. 2016. |
| [8] | Guigma-Diasso MMG. The problem of unwanted pregnancies and the situation of girl mothers in Africa and in the world: Draft report document n°16 session of the parliamentary assembly of the francophonie, Abidjan, 9-12 July 2013, 9p. |
| [9] | Young Africa and AFP. Côte d'Ivoire facing the persistent phenomenon of school pregnancies 2017. https://www.jeuneafrique.com/441506/societe/ivory (accessed 7/30/2020). |
| [10] | UNESCO 2018. Revised edition. International guidelines on sexuality education. An evidence-based approach. |
| [11] | Lochard G. Mental health of pregnant women and child development. Psychology and behavior. Pierre and Marie Curie University - Paris VI, 2014. French. NNT: 2014PA066413. |
| [12] | Fournier J, Marechal J, Siegfried D. Adolescent mother in Geneva: which path, which support? University of Geneva Community Immersion. June 2012. http://www.medecine.unige.ch/enseignement/apprentissage/module4/immersion/archives/2011_2012/rapports/Rapport_Mere_adolescente.pdf (accessed on 30/07/2020). |
| [13] | Deslauriers, J.-M. (2010). The experience of future young fathers during the prenatal period. Reflections, 16 (1), 63-100. |
| [14] | Opadou K. Support deficits and psychosocial adjustment difficulties among student mothers in Abidjan. European Scientific Journal December 2015 edition vol. 11, No. 35 ISSN: 1857–7881. |
| [15] | Molgat, M. & Ringuet, C. (2004). From predictability to diversity of pathways? The case of young mothers who have abandoned their studies. Service social, 51 (1), 60-77. |
APA Style
Aka Rita Ahou, Traore Brahim Samuel, Konan Koffi Paulin, Yeo-Tenena Yessonguilana Jean-Marie. (2021). Psychosocial Impact of Early Pregnancy: Case of 95 Students in the City of Abidjan. American Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, 9(3), 126-129. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajpn.20210903.19
ACS Style
Aka Rita Ahou; Traore Brahim Samuel; Konan Koffi Paulin; Yeo-Tenena Yessonguilana Jean-Marie. Psychosocial Impact of Early Pregnancy: Case of 95 Students in the City of Abidjan. Am. J. Psychiatry Neurosci. 2021, 9(3), 126-129. doi: 10.11648/j.ajpn.20210903.19
AMA Style
Aka Rita Ahou, Traore Brahim Samuel, Konan Koffi Paulin, Yeo-Tenena Yessonguilana Jean-Marie. Psychosocial Impact of Early Pregnancy: Case of 95 Students in the City of Abidjan. Am J Psychiatry Neurosci. 2021;9(3):126-129. doi: 10.11648/j.ajpn.20210903.19
Share This Article
Twitter
Linked In
Facebook
Copy
Download@article{10.11648/j.ajpn.20210903.19,
author = {Aka Rita Ahou and Traore Brahim Samuel and Konan Koffi Paulin and Yeo-Tenena Yessonguilana Jean-Marie},
title = {Psychosocial Impact of Early Pregnancy: Case of 95 Students in the City of Abidjan},
journal = {American Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience},
volume = {9},
number = {3},
pages = {126-129},
doi = {10.11648/j.ajpn.20210903.19},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajpn.20210903.19},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajpn.20210903.19},
abstract = {Pregnancy is an accomplishment in many cases. However, when it occurs early especially during schooling, it can be an obstacle to the development of adolescent girls, with a significant psychosocial impact. In Côte d'Ivoire, more than 4000 cases of school pregnancy were reported in 2017. The objective of this study was to describe the psychosocial impact of early pregnancy among selected students in the commune of Abidjan. We conducted a cross-sectional, descriptive study of adolescent girls who visited the health centers for their pre- or post-natal consultation. A total of 95 girls were included in our study. Of these, 53.68% were in their first cycle of secondary school. More than half, i.e. 52.63%, were between 12 and 17 years of age, and 91% were primigravida. Pregnancies were mostly unwanted (83%), while almost all sexual intercourse was consensual and unprotected. The occurrence of pregnancy had a negative psychosocial impact that manifested itself emotionally through a painful experience. Indeed, 66.07% of the girls considered abortion as soon as the pregnancy was announced. In 33.3% of cases, the abortion attempts were successful. The emotional state of these students was marked by feelings of discouragement, self-deprecation with lowered self-esteem, guilt and shame in 53%; 47.36%; 28.42% and 21.05% respectively. Sub-depressive states were also recorded in 31.58% of the students, manifested by insomnia, anorexia and sadness with crying. At school level, a drop in performance was noted in 58.95% of cases, and 22.10% dropped out. As for social relations, they were marked by the genesis of conflicts leading to abandonment both at the family level and from the perpetrators of the pregnancy in respectively 31.58% and 32.63%. In light of the above, it is clear that the occurrence of an adolescent pregnancy while in school has a negative psychological, educational and social impact.},
year = {2021}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - Psychosocial Impact of Early Pregnancy: Case of 95 Students in the City of Abidjan AU - Aka Rita Ahou AU - Traore Brahim Samuel AU - Konan Koffi Paulin AU - Yeo-Tenena Yessonguilana Jean-Marie Y1 - 2021/09/04 PY - 2021 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajpn.20210903.19 DO - 10.11648/j.ajpn.20210903.19 T2 - American Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience JF - American Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience JO - American Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience SP - 126 EP - 129 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2330-426X UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajpn.20210903.19 AB - Pregnancy is an accomplishment in many cases. However, when it occurs early especially during schooling, it can be an obstacle to the development of adolescent girls, with a significant psychosocial impact. In Côte d'Ivoire, more than 4000 cases of school pregnancy were reported in 2017. The objective of this study was to describe the psychosocial impact of early pregnancy among selected students in the commune of Abidjan. We conducted a cross-sectional, descriptive study of adolescent girls who visited the health centers for their pre- or post-natal consultation. A total of 95 girls were included in our study. Of these, 53.68% were in their first cycle of secondary school. More than half, i.e. 52.63%, were between 12 and 17 years of age, and 91% were primigravida. Pregnancies were mostly unwanted (83%), while almost all sexual intercourse was consensual and unprotected. The occurrence of pregnancy had a negative psychosocial impact that manifested itself emotionally through a painful experience. Indeed, 66.07% of the girls considered abortion as soon as the pregnancy was announced. In 33.3% of cases, the abortion attempts were successful. The emotional state of these students was marked by feelings of discouragement, self-deprecation with lowered self-esteem, guilt and shame in 53%; 47.36%; 28.42% and 21.05% respectively. Sub-depressive states were also recorded in 31.58% of the students, manifested by insomnia, anorexia and sadness with crying. At school level, a drop in performance was noted in 58.95% of cases, and 22.10% dropped out. As for social relations, they were marked by the genesis of conflicts leading to abandonment both at the family level and from the perpetrators of the pregnancy in respectively 31.58% and 32.63%. In light of the above, it is clear that the occurrence of an adolescent pregnancy while in school has a negative psychological, educational and social impact. VL - 9 IS - 3 ER -
Information
Email: