Thèses sur le sujet « Teenage pregnancy – South Africa – Vredendal »

Teenage pregnancy and motherhood is a challenging phenomenon worldwide. The goal of this study was to explore and describe the perceptions and experiencesof a sample of teenage girls about pregnancy, birth and motherhood. The objectives of the research were to engage voluntary participants in autobiographical "
life stories"
and semi structured interviews relating to the phenomenon being studied
to analyze the qualitative information and do a literature control of the findings and compare and verify and make appropriate conclusions and recommendations.

Teenage pregnancy is an important health and social problem in South Africa. Despite declining trends of fertility rates in last two decades, the pregnancy among school girls remains steadily high in South Africa. Teenage pregnancy had negative impacts on various aspects of socio-economic well being of school girls. Aim: To determine the proportion of teenage pregnancy among high school girls and to identify the possible factors that influence teenage pregnancy in Mthatha region during the year 2009. Materials & Methods: This is an observational cross sectional, analytic study of teenage pregnancy conducted among high school teenage girls in the Mthatha region of South Africa. Result: A total of 1150 teenage girls from 15 to 19 years of ages responded from seven high schools in the Mthatha region of South Africa. In total 113 (10%) of teenage high school girls were currently mothers or had previously been pregnant. The proportions of those who had ever been pregnant increased significantly with age. The risk of falling pregnant among public high school teenage girls had two times higher compared to private high school teenage girls. Condoms were the most common method of contraception whereas the oral pills were the least common in practice. About half of teenage girls who had ever been pregnant had an abortion and of this one-third had had a backstreet/illegal abortion. The frequency of substance use was significantly higher among teenage girls who had ever been pregnant. A significant correlation was found between low socio-economic status, public schools and teenage pregnancy in this study. Conclusion: Teenage pregnancy is common among high school girls from 15 to 19 years of age in the Mthatha Region, South Africa. Poor socio-economic family conditions, lack of contraceptive use, early sexual maturation, risky behaviour, lack of knowledge about sexuality and reproductive health, multiple sexual partners and substance use were the common contributing factors of teenage pregnancy.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University 2005
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of the current study was to undertake a phenomenological investigation on teenage motherhood and to learn how this experience forms part of the teenage mother's life. Using the snowball sampling method, five women aged between 26 and 35 years were selected to participate in the study. All the five women became mothers during their teenage years. Indepth interviews were conducted in Northern Sotho and Tshivenda depending on the language preference and fluency of the participant. The interviews were audio-taped, and later transcribed and translated. A phenomenological method of analysis was used to transform the original data into natural meaning units (NMUs) which were further interrogated so as to distil central sociological themes that were associated with the experience of teenage motherhood. Apart from the finding that the participants got pregnant when they were aged between 16 and 18, five sociological themes associated with teenage motherhood were identified. These are: • Lack of knowledge about sexual relationships contributes to teenage pregnancy and motherhood. • Early childbearing has a negative impact on the teenage mother's social relationships. • Teenage mothers tend to experience emotional problems after delivery of their babies. • Teenage motherhood has a long term disruptive effect on the teenage mother's educational and occupational opportunities. • Teenage motherhood leads to significant lifestyle changes for those who have been through the experience. In view of the above themes, sexual education both at school and at home, is suggested here as a more viable option to help minimise the risk of teenage motherhood in society. Whilst other options like abortion and the newly introduced child support grant are also available to the teenage mother, these are not considered favourable.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van die huidige studie was om 'n fenomenologiese ondersoek oor tienermoederskap te doen en uit te vind hoe hierdie belewenis deel uitmaak van die tienermoeder se bestaan. Deur die sneeubaltoetsingsmetode is vyf vroue tussen die ouderdomme van 26 en 35 jaar gekies om deel te neem aan die studie. AI vyf vroue het tydens hulle tienerjare moeders geword. Diepteonderhoude is in Noord-Sotho en Venda gevoer, afhangende van die taalvoorkeur en -vlotheid van die deelnemer. Klankopnames is van die onderhoude gemaak wat later getranskribeer en vertaal is. 'n Fenomenologiese analisemetode is gebruik om die oorspronklike data na natuurlike betekeniseenhede (NMUs - natural meaning units) te herlei wat verder ondersoek is om sentrale sosiologiese temas geassosieer met die belewing van tienermoederskap te identifiseer. Behalwe vir die bevinding dat die deelnemers swanger geraak het toe hulle tussen die ouderdom van 16 en 18 jaar was, is vyf sosiologiese temas geassosieer met tienermoederskap geïdentifiseer. Hierdie temas is: • 'n Gebrek aan kennis oor seksuele verhoudings dra by tot die voorkoms van tienerswangerskappe en -moederskap. • Vroeë kinderbaring het 'n negatiewe impak op die tienermoeder se sosiale verhoudings. • Tienermoeders is geneig daartoe om emosionele probleme te ondervind na die geboortes van hulle babas. • Tienermoederskap het 'n langtermyn ontwrigtende effek op die tienermoeder se opvoedings- en werksgeleenthede. • Tienermoederskap lei tot betekenisvolle veranderinge in lewenstyl vir diegene wat die ondervinding deurgemaak het. Met inagneming van bogenoemde temas word hier voorgestel dat seksuele opvoeding beide op skool en by die huis 'n meer lewensvatbare opsie is om die risiko van tienermoederskap in die samelewing te verminder. Alhoewel ander opsies soos aborsies en die nuutingestelde toekennings van kinderonderhoud ook vir die tienermoeder beskikbaar is, word hierdie opsies nie as bevorderlik beskou nie.

The depiction of teenage pregnancy as a social problem relies on the assumption of adolescence as a separable stage of development. Utilising a Derridian framework, I analyse how the dominant construction of adolescence as a transitional stage: (1) acts as an attempt to decide the undecidable (viz. the adolescent who is neither child nor adult, but simultaneously both) – an attempt which collapses in the face of teenage pregnancy; (2) relies on the ideal adult as the endpoint of development, and (3) has effects in terms of gendered and expert/parent/adolescent power relations.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Education in fulfilment of the requirements of the Degree of Master Of Education (M.Ed.) in the Department of Comparative and Science Education at the University of Zululand, 2017
The ever-increasing rate of teenage pregnancy has become a major societal challenge, not only in South Africa, but universally. The same applies in King Cetshwayo district in KwaZulu-Natal. Teenage pregnancy has many causes, some of which are new, like the child support grant. The results of teenage pregnancy are destructive, and long-lasting. This has given the researcher an impetus to conduct this study, and investigate as to: ∙ What the factors are that contribute to teenage pregnancy in King Cetshwayo district secondary schools? ∙ Whether there is a relationship between family background and teenage pregnancy in King Cetshwayo district? ∙ What role can be played by educators in mitigating factors contributing to teenage pregnancy in King Cetshwayo district secondary schools? This investigation was pursued with the aim of attaining practical and relevant solutions to this societal menace of teenage pregnancy. The quantitative method involving the use of questionnaires was used to extract data from 125 learners and 25 educators selected to partake in the study in King Cetshwayo district secondary schools. The findings of the study based on the data collected through questionnaires revealed that: ∙ There are factors that contribute to teenage pregnancy in King Cetshwayo district secondary schools, some of which did not exist before. ∙ There is a relationship between family background and teenage pregnancy in King Cetshwayo district. ∙ Educators can play a crucial role in mitigating factors which contribute to teenage pregnancy in King Cetshwayo district secondary schools. The key recommendations which emanated from this study, amongst others, were: ∙ There is a need for fully- fledged sexuality health education to be undertaken in schools. ∙ Contraceptives must be distributed in schools and learners be advised on their use. ∙ Poverty amongst the communities must be eradicated through women’s skill development and education. ∙ Peer educator programmes in schools must be resuscitated. ∙ Sexuality health campaigns must be organised in schools. ∙ Sports and cultural activities in schools must be encouraged. ∙ In-house codes of conduct to manage learner pregnancy must be developed and implemented.
National Research Foundation (Grant Number:CPT 160 5131 64973 and 105246)

The phenomenon of teenage pregnancy among school-going youth is on the increase in South Africa, despite the existence of a number of intervention programmes. Although both curricular and co-curricular awareness programmes targeting this phenomenon are currently employed within South African schools, these programmes have patently not met with much success, since the problem remains acute. It was the question why these programmes are not succeeding in alleviating the problem that prompted my interest in undertaking this study. Based on literature that suggests that those programmes that are successful in reaching the youth are designed through participatory processes, rather than being designed by outside experts, my thesis proposes that prevention programmes that are designed and implemented by the youth for the youth may be more successful in helping them to make healthy decisions in terms of their sexual behaviour. This study attempted to engage youth in a participatory way in identifying and exploring their perceptions of teenage pregnancy and using the knowledge thus gained to design, implement and evaluate prevention strategies in their school. The study is informed by social learning theory and adopted a participatory action research (PAR) design, which is located in a critical paradigm. I purposefully recruited twenty-four youths (14 females and 10 males) to participate. The primary research question that guided this study was: “How can peer educators be engaged to create prevention strategies to reduce teenage pregnancy and its impacts?” The following sub-questions were identified from the primary research question: What do learners themselves know feel and experience with regard to the causes and effects of teenage pregnancy How might a participatory methodology help learners to create relevant and contextualised strategies for addressing teenage pregnancy? How can such strategies be implemented in a school system? What recommendations could be made for addressing teenage pregnancy in a contextualised way? The research was conducted in two cycles. In Cycle One, data was generated through two focus group discussions, led by a young researcher from the community to encourage openness and honesty. In addition through snowball sampling, six teenage mothers and two teenage fathers agreed to be interviewed individually. The same questions were asked in the two discussions and the individual interviews, namely: “What do you know, feel and think about teenage pregnancy?” In the first cycle, I responded to my first sub-research question. Interviews, drawings and focus group discussions were used to generate data. Three themes emerged from the data to provide insight into how the youth at the school perceived the phenomenon of teenage pregnancy. The findings from this cycle revealed certain tensions between what youth said they needed and what adults, such as teachers and parents, thought they needed to know. The participating teenagers regarded themselves as sexual beings, while the adults in their sphere of influence preached abstinence, moralised or merely cited the facts, without entering into any discussion of how young people could deal with social pressures and better protect themselves against unplanned pregnancy. The participating youth were clearly aware of how to prevent pregnancy, but the social barriers to using condoms or contraceptive pills were a stumbling block. They possessed knowledge of the potential consequences of risky behaviour, but this did not stop them from engaging in such behaviour. In the second cycle of the research, the participants used the findings of the first cycle to develop prevention messages and strategies to convey these messages to their peers. They used participatory visual methods to accomplish this. The findings from this cycle revealed that a peer education approach helped participants to increase maturity in sexual decision-making, had a positive effect on the learning and acquisition of new skills, and improved critical thinking relating to sexuality. The study also had a positive impact on other learners’ knowledge and the attitudes displayed by both learners and teachers, and also led to improvements in school policies related to sexuality education. It is contended that the study contributed important theoretical and methodological insights. Knowledge generated from the study could make a contribution to the field of sexuality education and how it should be approached in schools, particularly in communities facing social and economic adversity. The methodological contribution of this study provided guidelines and theory on how participatory action research and participatory methods can be implemented in schools to enable youth to influence change in their schools, not only regarding teenage pregnancy, but also other social issues.

Thesis (DTech (Education))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2007
There are many challenges to girls' education. Each and every barrier is challenging in and of itself. Teenage pregnancy/motherhood is a major cause of schooling disruption. Research shows that about 4 in every 10 girls become pregnant at least once before age 20 (McDowell, 2003). In most cases, teen pregnancy/motherhood has resulted in the discontinuation of education for the girls, leading to the loss of a sustainable future. In South Africa, girls have the right to continue schooling in public schools even after becoming mothers. In the Western Cape, the Education Department introduced the Managing Learner Pregnancy Policy (MLPP) which guarantees pregnant or mothering learners a right to remain in public schools. Despite the MLPP, teen mothers face a number of challenges as learners - they feel marginalised by the schooling system. Consequently, it is not easy for the girls to succeed with their schooling. They experience pressure from teachers, fellow learners, parents and society. In most cases, the teen mothers receive very little support and they are usually misunderstood. Society perceives teen mothers as deviants, failures and irredeemable girls who can contaminate other girls and influence them to behave immorally. Teen mothers are stigmatised. The stigma and discourses that help to construct it are the forces that impact on the schooling processes of the teen mothers. In most cases, responses of educators, parents and communities towards teen mothers are affected by beliefs, values and attitudes situated in the discourses.

Feminists have argued that the association made between teenage childbearing and long-term lower socioeconomic status hides a multitude of socially constructed inequalities. I extend this position by analysing how the association is linked in the South African literature on teenage pregnancy to economic security. I utilise Foucault’s conceptualization of the method of security. Security refers to institutions and practices that defend and maintain a national population as well as secure the economic, demographic, and social processes of that population. I analyse how the traits of the method of security are deployed with regard to teenage pregnancy; how reproductive adolescents are viewed as disrupting the production of the economic self and fracturing population control, thereby threatening economic security; and how the invocation of economic security allows for the legitimation of various regulatory practices.
Rhodes University

This study investigates the causes, consequences and possible solutions of teenage pregnancy. It indicates that socio-economic factors play an important role in the occurrence of teenage pregnancies. In addition the study suggests that a range of factors, including, cultural norms and individual needs, impact on the childbearing decisions of teenage females. The study demonstrates that the most important negative consequences of teenage pregnancy include dropping out of school, unemployment, single parenthood and higher levels of poverty. An important finding of the study is that policies and programmes aimed at reducing teen pregnancy rates, and eliminating the negative consequences experienced by teen mothers and their children, are unlikely to be fully effective unless they realistically address socio-economic imbalances faced by many young women in South Africa.

Teenage pregnancy is an international phenomenon with girls falling pregnant from as early as 14 years of age. In South Africa teenage pregnancies are also on the increase (Kaiser, 2000:18; Statistica SA, 2006:5;). Teenage pregnancy may have negative effects for the teenager in that it can force the teenager to drop out of school prematurely as well as shortening her educational career which might limit future career possibilities. It also predisposes both the mother and the child to health risks. Finally, teenage pregnancy also leads to family destabilisation. Within the Xhosa communities family destabilisation becomes even more severe as it is culturally and traditionally related. Traditionally, teenage pregnancy in the Xhosa communities is stigmatized. The family suffers from embarrassment and disappointment and the effects of these experiences can manifest in outrage on the part of the parents towards the pregnant teenager resulting in non-communication with her and ultimately rejection (Boult & Cunningham, 1991:36). This results in no or minimal support from the family (Nxumalo, 1997:16). The research design and method to achieve the objective of the study was a theory-generative design based on a qualitative, phenomenological, explorative, descriptive and contextual research approach utilizing the four steps of theory generation. During the step of concept analysis, which is the first step of the process of theory generation, data was collected by means of individual interviews with the pregnant Xhosa teenagers, parents and grandparents. The interviews were audio-taped and transcribed verbatim. The sample for the study was selected purposively to ensure indepth information.

This piece of research explores the problem of schoolgirl pregnancies and suggests a role which the school might play in their prevention. Concern over the growing number of unplanned pregnancies under the age of eighteen years at the author's school, culminated in the .present study. Experts on the subject often perceive the problem to be self-defeating to the young girls, medically contra-indicated and socially disruptive. The purpose of this investigation was to determine attitudes towards the description of the problem, to identify causative factors predisposing to pregnancy, and to obtain views on how the school can reconcile efforts to address the problem. The relevant research data was obtained through a comprehensive 64 item attitudinal and knowledge-base questionnaire which was administered to a sample of 187 subjects. The sample comprised seven different occupational groups namely, senior schoolgirls, parents of senior schoolgirls, ex-schoolgirl primigravidae, parents of ex-schoolgirl primigravidae, school teachers, members of the clergy and various health care professionals. The appendices contain full statistical tables as well as full responses to the open-ended essay based on the research questionnaire so that the reader is free to check the reasonableness of the conclusions drawn. In the final chapter the author provides a brief summary of findings, offers justification why the teaching of sex education should be a priority in public schools, and makes recommendations, in the main, for the inclusion of school-based sex education as a component of Guidance in terms of rationale and implementation. In addition, suggestions are made with regard to school policy formulation and networking with parents and other community resources. Finally, a choice of four current model programmes for sex education are proposed in an effort to improve and build upon existing programmes in the present South African curriculum. It is the author's belief that this investigation may contribute to course design and perhaps provide hypotheses for more specific studies in the future.

The study is about the effects of teenage pregnancy on learning and teaching in Junior and Senior Secondary Schools of Butterworth District. The researcher’s objective of the study was to determine how pregnancy affects the learner’s performance on learning and teaching in schools. Qualitative paradigm informed the study. The participants were drawn from teenagers; teachers and parents areall from rural schools, around Butterworth Education District through the use of non-probability, purposive and convenient samples. The sample included learners from ages 13-19 who were pregnant and those who were once pregnant while in schools, teachers who taught pregnant learners in their schools and parents who were having pregnant children at schools. A total of fifteen (15) participants were involved in the interview. The data collected was analyzed and interpreted during data collection and thereafter. The findings of the study showed that absenteeism, drop-out, poor academic performance, poverty and unemployment which are the results of pregnancy are some of the contributory factors that affect learning and teaching in schools. Recommendations were made based on the findings of the study. The study concludes by recommending awareness campaign on learner pregnancy.

Thesis (MPH.) --University of Limpopo, 2015
Background: There are a high number of teenagers seeking Termination of Pregnancy (TOP) at Maggys Hope Clinic in Polokwane Municipality in Capricorn District in Limpopo Province after the Termination of Pregnancy Act was passed in 1997. The numbers have doubled since the inception of the Children's Act no 38 of 2005 and the Sexual Offences Bill in 2008. The report by Stats SA and Department of education also indicated that the numbers have also doubled. Objective: The aim of the study was to determine the factors contributing to termination of pregnancies amongst teenagers at Maggys Hope Clinic in Polokwane Municipality, Limpopo Province. Methods: An exploratory, descriptive qualitative research design was used to identify and describe the factors contributing to termination of pregnancies among teenagers in Maggys Hope Clinic in Capricorn district Limpopo Province South Africa, in April 2014. Results: The results of the study revealed that CTOP legislation is one of the reasons why teenagers terminate. All the twenty participants indicated age and marital status as the motivation as the contributing factor. Looking at the age and educational level the most pushing factor is that thirteen of the participants are still at school. Eleven of the participants have no knowledge of contraceptives. This is a serious concern. Participants indicated that they had very little knowledge on reproductive health issues. The rest of the pushing factors are parental pressure, contraceptive failure, fear of parental disappointment and unpreparedness to raise a child as well. Conclusion: It can thus be concluded that teenage termination of pregnancies is a major health concern in South Africa, Africa and globally. Teenagers’ health is in danger due to engaging in unprotected sex banking on TOP as a solution. The study found that age and fear from dropping out of school, lack parental involvement in sexual matters, family economic status and marital status, including lack of knowledge and information on reproductive health issues, were the main factors contributing to termination of pregnancies among teenagers in Maggys Hope Clinic in Capricorn District, Limpopo Province.

Magister Public Health - MPH (Public Health)
Teenage pregnancy remains a complex issue globally. According to the World Health Organisation (2014), the average global birth rate of girls aged 15-19 years was 49 per 1000 births reported globally. In South Africa, the general household survey conducted in 2014 revealed that 5.6% of females 14-19 years were reported to have been pregnant in 2013, with teenage pregnancy increasing by age from 0.8% for the age group of 14 years to 11.9% for teenagers aged 19 years. In South Africa, a range of health policies and programs exist to address teenage pregnancy, including school-based sex education, peer education programmes, adolescent friendly clinic initiatives and mass media interventions. Despite such initiatives, the number of teenagers becoming pregnant remains high. Teenage pregnancy reported in Mangaung district is 7%, which is three times more than the provincial target of 2% for teenage pregnancy. This research therefore aimed to explore the reasons behind teenage pregnancy in Heidedal, Mangaung District, Free State Province, South Africa. Two in- depth interviews were conducted, one with twelve teenage mothers and the other with four key informants who were selected based on insight and experience they possess in working with teenagers. The key informants suitable for the study included a nurse, life orientation teacher, ward councillor and a counsellor working for a non-governmental organization that supports the implementation of youth programmes in the health facility. Thematic analysis was used to analyse data and key themes, afterwards concepts were interpreted so that explanations could be constructed to answer the research aim and objectives. The study aimed to contribute to understanding reasons behind the high teenage pregnancy rates in Mangaung District. This information will be useful to policy makers in developing policies and strategies that will address factors identified to be influencing teenage pregnancy.

The increased rate of teenagers suffering from reproductive healthcare -related conditions is a global phenomenon. An estimated 16 million teenage girls aged between 15 and 19 years give birth every year with 95% of these births occurring in the developing countries. In South Africa one notes from recorded statistics that 20000 school going teenagers fell pregnant in South Africa during 2014. These statistics left many questions to be answered in terms of what information school going teenage girls do receive at school. Formally the current school curriculum in South Africa includes a subject around life skills orientation which is known as Life Orientation Programme and in which learners are introduced to reproductive healthcare from grade 7; but a persistent increase in the rate of pregnancies and sexually-transmitted infections amongst school going teenage girls is observed. The aim of the study was to explore and describe the knowledge of school going teenage girls regarding reproductive healthcare and services in the Eastern Cape Province. The objectives of this study were:-to determine and explore the knowledge of school going teenage girls regarding reproductive healthcare in the Eastern Cape Province; -to determine the nature of information given to school going teenage girls regarding reproductive healthcare through the school Life-Orientation programme; and,-based on the results of the entire study, develop guidelines that could assist the stakeholders in health and education professions in enhancing of knowledge regarding reproductive healthcare of school going teenage girls and improving their access to related services. A quantitative design with a descriptive, exploratory and contextual approach was used. A survey was conducted and the data -collection tool was a self-administered, structured questionnaire developed by the researcher with the assistance of the supervisor and the statistician. Validity and reliability were assured before data collection commenced. A convenience, non-probability sampling method was used to collect data from schoolgoing teenage girls that gave permission to participate and met the inclusion criteria of:- schools having school going teenage girls between the ages of 12 and 19 years in the Eastern Cape Province, - being within the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality areaand the Sarah Baartman district and -the schoolgoing teenage girls being in grades 10 to 12. Data was collected in September 2016 from a total of 314 teenagers who participated and returned the completed questionnaires. The data was captured by the researcher and analysed using a Microsoft excel programme created by the statistician for data - analysis purposes. STATISTICA Version 12 computer software application was used. The study results revealed that learners received some reproductive healthcare related education in Life-orientationprogramme lessons; but the information was seen as insufficient. Parents were telling them about their body development; but were not discussing reproductive healthcare issues with them. Participants did not know how to use the different methods of contraceptives correctly though they knew about the methods. Participants did not know about other signs of complications of reproductive healthcare as they did not know how to identify sexually-transmitted infections, breast and vaginal infections and related problems. Based on the above study results guidelines wasdeveloped as the necessary tool to facilitate the enhancement of schoolgoing girls’ knowledge regarding reproductive healthcare in the Eastern Cape Province. The study adopted the Belmont Report principles, namely, respect for persons, beneficence and justice, to enhance ethical considerations.

The issue of teenage motherhood has been a concern, globally, continentally and locally. The quantitative study assessed whether the pregnant teenagers were ready for motherhood. This report analysed the current positions of women whose first child was to be born when they were teenagers in the rural Eastern Cape setting. The structured questionnaires were given to 106 pregnant teenagers who visited the War Memorial clinic for pregnancy check-up and convenient sampling was used to select these respondents. The items of the questionnaire were divided into the following sub-topics: prenatal and postnatal challenges and roles and responsibilities of motherhood. The study found that most of the pregnant teenagers were aware of the prenatal and postnatal challenges but they were not ready to perform the roles and responsibilities associated with motherhood. The analysis of data was divided in terms of descriptive and inferential statistics. The binary regression model was used to assess the factors affecting the pregnant teenagers’ readiness for motherhood. The finding of this study indicated that most (about 79 percent) of the pregnant teenagers were not aware of the roles and responsibilities of motherhood In addition to being not ready to face the psycho-social challenges of motherhood. Hence they indicated low level of readiness to motherhood. The psycho-social theory of Erikson posited that children who had strong and intact psycho-social relationships with the caregivers might have a high possibility of acquiring their identity during adolescent stage and this will help them to interact both effectively and efficiently with their peers and the society at large. While those do had negative psycho-social development have a high chance of facing identity crisis/confusion. As a result, they might lead them to being victims of psycho-social interaction such as early pregnancy.

Thesis (Ph. D. (Social Work)) -- University of Limpopo, 2018
Teenage pregnancy is a social problem that affects and destroys the future of teenage girls, especially teenage learners. Its impact is not only felt by the teenage girls, but also by their families, schools, and the country in general. This study sought to develop an educational social group work model on teenage pregnancy for learners in schools in the North West province. To this effect, this study was anchored on five objectives, namely: to establish the extent of teenage pregnancy amongst learners in schools in the North West province; to assess factors that predispose learners to indulge in sexual activities despite the risk of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases; to describe the roles of parents in the prevention of teenage pregnancy amongst learners; to identify prevention measures used by the schools to prevent teenage pregnancy; and to develop, implement, and evaluate an educational social group work model on teenage pregnancy for learners. The study adopted a mixed methods approach by combining the qualitative and quantitative paradigms. The population of the study consisted of learners, while school principals, deputy principals, Life Orientation teachers, and parents/guardians were the key informants. The findings of this study confirm that teenage pregnancy is a serious problem that continues to affect schools. All grades from the secondary schools that participated in this study reported cases of learner pregnancies. The grades with high reported cases include Grades 10, 11, and 12, while Grades 8 and 9 appeared to be the least affected. Furthermore, the findings indicate that male learners are most likely to father children with female learners. The development of an educational social group work model on teenage pregnancy for learners was achieved via a literature review and the empirical findings from learners and the key informants. Group work as a method of the social work profession was chosen in this study because it is intensive in nature, and the follow-up sessions provided a platform for the evaluation of social worker interventions and the performance of individual members and the entire group. The developed model was implemented and evaluated. Different topics were discussed during a marathon of eight

Teenage pregnancy is one of the social and health problems in many communities of South Africa and is escalating (Richter, 2005). Teenage pregnancy is also a global health problem as it affects the whole world and has been a concern to health workers like medical doctors, nurses, community developers, educators and parents (Maholo, 2009). In addition, the risk of dropping out of school due to pregnancy is considerable to teenagers as it results in a lack of qualifications and future unemployment.The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions and experience of teenage fathers who are both learners and fathers and their views on the effects of teenage pregnancy. Furthermore, this investigation was undertaken to investigate the implications of teenage fathers‘ experiences on sex education. This study followed qualitative research approach as it is based on male teenage pregnancy which is a real consequence of teenagers engaging in sexual activities (Silverman, 2006). In this study the data collected through in depth interviews and personal journals were analyzed.This study revealed that all the teenage fathers interviewed were not happy that they were teenage fathers instead they were disappointed, shocked, and regretful and did not believe that they could become fathers at their respective ages. They also regretted themselves for becoming teenage fathers as it delays them in their studies. They have been taught about sex education at school in a learning area called life orientation so they do not blame school but themselves for their actions.

Adolescent pregnancy is a concern worldwide and has risen at an alarming rate in South African societies. Many teenage pregnancies end up being aborted. Despite the availability of contraceptives free of charge in public institutions, unintended pregnancies among adolescents still persist. These unintended pregnancies result in a high rate of induced abortion, both safe and unsafe. The study was conducted to explore and describe the perceptions of adolescents regarding induced abortion in two public hospitals in East London, South Africa. This was a qualitative, phenomenological research study to explore the perceptions of adolescents regarding the induced abortion. Participants were purposively selected to participate in the study. Data were collected by means of individual interviews using interview guide in order to allow the participants to express their perceptions freely because of the sensitivity of the issue. Data were collected until saturation was reached. Saturation was reached after 24 participants were interviewed by the researcher. Data analysis used Tech’s (1990) steps as outlined by Creswell (2014:198). Themes, categories, and subcategories were identified following the data analysis. All adolescents admitted having consensual unprotected sex. Engagement in early sexual behaviour by the adolescents was evident as their sexual debut was between the ages of fifteen and sixteen years. Adolescents emphasised that they had abortions because they had no choice. Adolescents cited poor-socio economic status as their main reason for having abortions. Some findings were that adolescent men were against abortion and they had to be persuaded by their female counter parts. A recurrent factor in the results was the infrequent use of contraceptives, including condoms by the adolescents. This indicated that adolescents practised unsafe sex, with little or no regard for sexual transmitted diseases including Human Immune Deficiency Virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV and AIDS). The results also indicated poor treatment by the nursing staff at the family planning clinics. This poor treatment resulted in adolescents not attending family planning clinics. This led to adolescents using abortion as the only method of contraception. Shortage of staff was a contributing factor to the poor treatment of adolescents in the family planning clinics. Adolescents cited that contraception at the clinics is not prioritised. The participants suggested that they should be reminded when to come to the clinic for family planning. Perceptions of reasons for adolescents choosing induced abortion ranges from psychosocial to socio-economic reasons. The knowledge of participants of what was happening to them and what they were doing seemed adequate. The perceptions of the adolescents regarding induced abortion were that abortion is wrong, against their morals as they are Christians; they use abortion because they have no choice due to their poor socio-economic status. The strategies to reduce the unintended pregnancy through the proper management of the contraception programmes, including the change in negative attitudes of health care providers in the family planning clinics could yield positive results.

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2000.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: An exploratory study of the extent and nature of adolescent pregnancy resolution and pre-abortion counselling was undertaken. Little research has been done on pre-abortion counselling in South Africa since the Choice of Termination of Pregnancy Act (92 of 1996) was passed in February 1997. This study emphasised pre-abortion counselling since this is a new field for most counsellors. A literature study was conducted on adolescent pregnancy, focussing on the factors and possible consequences of the choice to carry the pregnancy to term or to terminate it. Adolescents, more than adults, need assistance to make this decision. Crisis intervention was explored as a possible counselling model for pregnancy resolution and pre-abortion counselling. The preliminary investigation included interviews with social workers and nursing professionals in Mossel Bay. Nursing professionals were included in the study since they administer the pregnancy tests and are therefore the first professionals with whom the pregnant adolescent comes into contact. This investigation revealed that nurses, not social workers, do most of the preabortion counselling in Mossel Bay. The Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act emphasises the importance of supplying pre and post-abortion counselling at the facility providing the termination of pregnancy. The Act also envisages this as primarily a medical concern, with the implication that nursing professionals should do the counselling. The role of professional counsellors such as social workers is not mentioned in the Act. The Act lays down that training will be provided to equip nursing professionals with necessary skills to render this service. The empirical study examined the training and skills of nursing professionals and social workers to determine whether they were adequately qualified to render these services. The respondents' attitude towards pregnant adolescents who choose abortion was also investigated, since this would influence their counselling skills. The investigation revealed that many of the nurses did not seem confident in their counselling although they felt that they were adequately qualified to counsel pregnant adolescents. The nurses explained that they did not feel that they had enough knowledge of the different options, especially foster care and adoption and therefore referred patients to a social worker or Options Pregnancy Centre (a volunteer based counselling centre). The social workers felt confident in counselling adolescents who decided to carry pregnancy to term. The counselling model used was crisis intervention, which is most appropriate for pre-abortion counselling as well. However they felt that they did not have enough information of abortion procedures and emotional consequences of abortion to counsel a pregnant adolescent requesting an abortion effectively. The study showed that respondents felt empathy and understanding for the adolescents' situation and the seriousness of the decision needing to be made. The study also found that social workers and nurses were willing to attend further training in order to improve their knowledge and their counselling skills. The training should therefore not focus on attitudes but simply on improving counselling skills. Training should focus on the nature of a crisis and the steps of crisis intervention.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: 'n Studie is gedoen om die aard en omvang insake die besluitneming ten opsigte van tienerswangerskappe en berading voor 'n aborsie te ondersoek. Sedert die Wet op Beëindiging van Swangerskap (92 van 1996) in Februarie, is weinig navorsing in Suid-Afrika gedoen oor berading voor 'n aborsie. Hierdie studie beklemtoon voorafgaande berading aangaande aborsie, aangesien dit 'n onbekende terrein vir baie beraders is. 'n Literatuurstudie oor tienerswangerskap is geloods met die fokus op faktore en moontlike gevolge van die keuse om die volle termyn van die swangerskap te voltooi of die beëindiging daarvan. Adolessente het meer ondersteuning nodig as volwassenes om so 'n keuse uit te oefen. Krisis-ingryping is ondersoek as 'n moontlike model vir die beslissing van 'n swangerskap en berading wat 'n aborsie voorafgaan. Met die voor-ondersoek is onderhoude met maatskaplike werkers en verpleegkundiges in Mosselbaai gevoer. Verpleegkundiges was deel van die studie aangesien hulle die eerste kundiges is met wie die swanger tiener in aanraking kom, omdat hulle die swangerskaptoetse uitvoer. Dié navorsing toon dat verpleegsters in Mosselbaai (nie maatskaplike werkers nie) grotendeels die berading voor 'n aborsie hanteer. Die Wet benadruk hoe belangrik dit is om beradingsdienste vir voor- en na-aborsie te voorsien by die plek waar die aborsie toegepas word. Dié Wet beskou dit ook primêr as 'n mediese aangeleentheid, gevolglik behoort verpleegkundiges die berading te doen. Daar word egter nie melding gemaak van die rol van professionele beraders soos maatskaplike werkers, in dié verband nie. Die Wet bepaal ook dat verpleegkundiges opleiding sal ontvang om hulle met vaardighede toe te rus om so 'n diens te lewer. Die opleiding en vaardighede van verpleegkundiges en maatskaplike werkers is dus getoets aan die hand van studies, gegrond op praktiese ervaring, om te bepaal of hulle bevoegd is om die dienste te lewer. Daar is ook ondersoek ingestel na die respondente se houding teenoor die swanger adolessent wat 'n aborsie verkies, aangesien hul vermoë om die berading te hanteer, beïnvloed kan word. Die ondersoek toon dat baie verpleegsters onseker voorgekom het tydens berading, hoewel hulle gevoel het dat hulle bekwaam is om swanger adolessente te adviseer. Hulle verklaar dat hulle nie genoeg kennis oor die verskillende opsies, veral pleegsorg en aanneming, gehad het nie, en dus pasiënte na 'n maatskaplike werker of Options Pregnancy Centre verwys het. Maatskaplike werkers het berading aan swanger adolessente wat die termyn van die swangerskap wou voltooi, met sekerheid hanteer. In die proses is krisis-ingryping uitgeoefen wat dan ook gepas is vir berading voor 'n aborsie. Die maatskaplike werkers het egter gevoel dat hulle nie genoeg inligting oor die aborsieproses en die emosionele gevolge daarvan gehad het om die swanger adolessent wat 'n aborsie verlang, effektief voor te lig nie. Die studie het getoon dat respondente die adolessent se situasie en die erns van die besluit wat gemaak moes word, met empatie en begrip hanteer het. Met die studie is ook bevind dat maatskaplike werkers en verpleegsters bereid was om verdere opleiding te ontvang en sodoende hul kennis en vaardighede te verbeter. Die opleiding moet dus nie op houdings fokus nie, maar eerder die ontwikkeling van vaardighede. Dit behoort te fokus op die aard van die krisis en die stappe van krisis-intervensie.

Thesis (Mnutr)--University of Stellenbosch, 2003.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Pregnancy and growth have been found to have a detrimental effect on the micronutrient status of adolescent girls. Dietary studies in adolescents have shown serious shortfalls in their dietary iron and folate intake. The competition for nutrients between the fetus and a pregnant adolescent may carry the risk of complications such as intrauterine growth retardation, pre-eclampsia, both maternal and fetal intrapartum mortality, the increased risk of birth injuries and low birth weight. The aim of the study was to assess the nutritional status of rural black, pregnant teenagers attending the antenatal clinic at Siloam Hospital in the Limpopo Province, with special emphasis on iron and folic acid intake, and evaluation of the newborn babies in terms of weight status and neural tube defects. The nutritional status was determined in 40 pregnant and 40 non-pregnant adolescent girls. The pregnant girls were selected during their first visit to the antenatal clinic, and the non-pregnant girls were selected from nearby schools. The demographic and dietary history questionnaires were used to collect information from the subjects. The dietary intake of the subjects was collected by the completion of a pre-tested quantified food frequency questionnaire. The anthropometric questionnaire was used to get information from the pregnant adolescents and the control group. The infant anthropometric measurements questionnaire provided information on the infant and the outcome of birth. Blood was collected from the pregnant adolescent girls and the control subjects. Anaemia was observed in 57.5% of the pregnant and 27.5% of the non-pregnant adolescents (haemoglobin AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Daar is bevind dat swangerskap en groei 'n nadelige effek het op die mikronutriëntstatus van vroulike adolessente. Dieetstudies in adolessente het ernstige tekortkominge in dieetyster- en folaatinnames getoon. Die kompetisie vir nutriente tussen die fetus en die swanger adolessent kan verantwoordelik wees vir komplikasies soos intra-uterine groeivertraging, preeklampsie, verhoogde mortaliteit van beide moeder en baba tydens kraam, 'n verhoogde risiko vir geboortebeserings en lae geboortegewig. Die doel van die studie was om die effek van voedingstatus by swart, swanger tieners by die voorgeboortekliniek in Siloam Hospital in die Limpopo-provinsie te bepaal, met spesifieke verwysing na die yster- en foliensuurinname, asook die evaluering van die pasgebore babas in terme van gewig en neurale buis defekte. Die voedingstatus van 40 swanger en 40 nie-swanger adolessente meisies IS bepaal. Die swanger meisies is ewekansig geselekteer gedurende die eerste besoek aan die voorgeboortekliniek , en die nie-swanger meisies is geselekteer by nabygeleë skole. Die demografiese en dieetgeskiedenisvraelyste is gebruik om inligting van die proefpersone in te samel. Voorafgetoetste gekwantifiseerde voedselfrekwensie vraelyste is gebruik om die voedselinname van proefpersone te bepaal. Antropometriese vraelyste is gebruik om antropometriese inligting van die swanger adolessente en die kontrole groep. Die antropometriese vraelys vir babas is gebruik om inligting ten opsigte van die baba aan te teken asook die verloop van die swangerskap. Bloedmonsters is van die swanger tieners en die kontrole groep ingesamel. Anemie is waargeneem by 57.5% van die swanger en 27.5% van die nie-swanger adolessente (hemoglobien