Vulnerability analysis of Haitian adolescent girls before pregnancy: a qualitative study
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Léonel Philibert
,
Patrice Ngangue
,
Judith Lapierre
,
Elizabeth Bernardino
,
Gbètogo Maxime Kiki
und
Gisèle Mandiangu Ntanda
Abstract
Objectives
This article aims to analyze the vulnerabilities experienced by Haitian adolescent girls before their pregnancy.
Methods
A qualitative research design was developed from Dewey’s social survey. From October 2020 to January 2021, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 33 pregnant adolescents living in Haiti’s North and North-East departments. Thematic data analysis was performed using the qualitative data analysis software QDA miner, 6.0.5.
Results
The adolescent girls interviewed were between 14 and 19. The study showed that adolescent girls experienced economic and social hardship, gender issues, and barriers to contraceptive use before pregnancy. These girls have experienced restrictive conditions that make them vulnerable to risky sexual practices and unwanted pregnancy.
Conclusions
The results have indicated that Haitian adolescent girls’ vulnerabilities before their pregnancy result from economic, social, and cultural injustices to which they are exposed from early childhood. These adolescent girls are also highly vulnerable to sexual exploitation and rape, as well as pregnancy. It is essential to address these issues when implementing programs aimed at improving the living conditions of adolescents in Haiti, including the prevention of early and unwanted pregnancy.
Funding source: International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
Funding source: Centre for Research on Social Innovations (CRISES)
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank Yolette Philibert and Rose-Carmelle Compère for their involvement in the field activities related to this research.
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Research ethics: Ethical approvals were granted by the Laval University Ethics Committee (# 2020-253/04-11-2020), as well as by the Haitian National Bioethics Committee (# Ref.1921-1).
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Informed consent: To participate in this study, participants aged 18 and over provided written informed consent. Those under 18 gave their assent and a parent or guardian gave consent. Participants have been informed that their participation is entirely voluntary and that they have the right to withdraw from the study at any time without prejudice.
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Author contributions: All authors made significant contributions to the development and design or analysis and interpretation of data, to the development of the article, and/or to the critical revision of its intellectual content, and all authors endorsed the version submitted to the International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health (IJAMH).
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Competing interests: The authors state that they have no conflict of interest.
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Research funding: This work received financial support from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Centre for Research on Social Innovations (CRISES). Although these institutions helped fund the doctoral study, they were not involved in data collection or results analysis. Therefore, the views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily of IDRC or CRISES.
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Data availability: The data is available and well stored in a database. They will be destroyed in 2027, seven years after the study.
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© 2023 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Original Articles
- Digital consumer behaviour: insights into the perceptions of late adolescents’ consumption of digital media on cognitive health
- Attitude and practice of secondary school students towards voluntary counselling and testing in Mwanza, North-West Tanzania
- Vulnerability analysis of Haitian adolescent girls before pregnancy: a qualitative study
- Characteristics of Malaysian 16-year-old girls who reported regular binge eating episodes and the associated risk factors: a descriptive study
- Short Communication
- The intersection of technology and mental health: enhancing access and care
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Original Articles
- Digital consumer behaviour: insights into the perceptions of late adolescents’ consumption of digital media on cognitive health
- Attitude and practice of secondary school students towards voluntary counselling and testing in Mwanza, North-West Tanzania
- Vulnerability analysis of Haitian adolescent girls before pregnancy: a qualitative study
- Characteristics of Malaysian 16-year-old girls who reported regular binge eating episodes and the associated risk factors: a descriptive study
- Short Communication
- The intersection of technology and mental health: enhancing access and care
