Parent - Child Communication on Sexual and Reproductive Health
Summary:
According to UNICEF, adolescents make up 23% of sub Saharan Africa's population and HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death among them. Adolescents lack information on sexual and reproductive health yet already engage in sex at a young age (Beguy et al., 2013). Of interventions targeting adolescents, parent and child/ adolescent communication on SRH is an area that has previously not had much attention in various parts of Africa. A desk review of ten (10) journals was carried out from studies across Africa. The cross sectional studies used quantitative methods and mixed both qualitative and quantitative methods. The studies were examining communication barriers, enablers and barriers of parent child SRH and topics covered. According to studies, parent and child conversations on SRH were skewered toward a particular aspect such as pregnancy and HIV/AIDS. Studies show that these conversations mainly take place because of a trigger such as onset of menstruation or physical change. The studies indicate that parent child communication delayed sexual debut and opened up queues. Parents who underwent some kind of training or capacity building to improve their ability to communicate to their children reported more confidence in their interaction with their child. Much needs to be done to improve parental skills in SRH communication with their children in order to create more impact on SRH issues. The sector SBCC sector should influence parental communications skills and sexual reproductive health knowledge to enable them hold early and meaningful SRH conversations that allow the adolescent to also express themselves.
Background/Objectives:
According to UNICEF, adolescents make up 23% of sub Saharan Africa's population. The leading cause of death among adolescent in sub Saharan Africa is HIV/AIDS. Adolescents lack information on sexual and reproductive health yet already engage in sex at a young age (Beguy et al., 2013). Of interventions targeting adolescents, parent and child/ adolescent communication on sexual and reproductive health is an area that has previously not had much attention in various parts of Africa. The objective of the review was to determine the barriers and enablers of parent - child conversation and topics discussed within the conversation.
Description of Intervention and/or Methods/Design:
A desk review of ten (10) journals was carried out from studies across Africa. The studies were cross-sectional studies and a couple of reviews carried out over a period of time. The cross sectional studies used quantitative methods and mixed both qualitative and quantitative methods. Respondents were parents, teachers and in a few cases children who participated in in-depth interviews (moderated or self-administered) focus-group discussions (FGDs) and observation methods. Ethical approval was obtained for all the studies from respective county research ethics boards and respondents consent was also obtained for the interviews. In other cases, parental consent was obtained in the case of children being interviewed. This is with exception of two studies that were reviews of other studies conducted. Data was analysed depending on it being qualitative or quantitavie using various analytical tools.
Results/Lessons Learned:
There is need to empower parents on how to conduct sexual and reproductive health conversations with their children. The review showed that conversations had more impact when conducted early and possibly with a parent of the opposite sex. There is need for the conversation to be participatory, that is to include the adolescent and consider their views on sexual and reproductive issues. To be able to make lasting impact on sexual and reproductive health, parents roles must be recognized and adolescents must be involved to even help understand what kind of conversation they want to have.
Discussion/Implications for the Field:
To transform lives and conversations on sexual and reproductive health, parents need to be considered in capacity building efforts. There is still much to be done to counter the stigma on sexual and reproductive health conversations especially among parents and their children. The parent child conversation is part of what is needed at an early stage to transform SRH in african...
Abstract submitted by:
Salome Onyando
According to UNICEF, adolescents make up 23% of sub Saharan Africa's population and HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death among them. Adolescents lack information on sexual and reproductive health yet already engage in sex at a young age (Beguy et al., 2013). Of interventions targeting adolescents, parent and child/ adolescent communication on SRH is an area that has previously not had much attention in various parts of Africa. A desk review of ten (10) journals was carried out from studies across Africa. The cross sectional studies used quantitative methods and mixed both qualitative and quantitative methods. The studies were examining communication barriers, enablers and barriers of parent child SRH and topics covered. According to studies, parent and child conversations on SRH were skewered toward a particular aspect such as pregnancy and HIV/AIDS. Studies show that these conversations mainly take place because of a trigger such as onset of menstruation or physical change. The studies indicate that parent child communication delayed sexual debut and opened up queues. Parents who underwent some kind of training or capacity building to improve their ability to communicate to their children reported more confidence in their interaction with their child. Much needs to be done to improve parental skills in SRH communication with their children in order to create more impact on SRH issues. The sector SBCC sector should influence parental communications skills and sexual reproductive health knowledge to enable them hold early and meaningful SRH conversations that allow the adolescent to also express themselves.
Background/Objectives:
According to UNICEF, adolescents make up 23% of sub Saharan Africa's population. The leading cause of death among adolescent in sub Saharan Africa is HIV/AIDS. Adolescents lack information on sexual and reproductive health yet already engage in sex at a young age (Beguy et al., 2013). Of interventions targeting adolescents, parent and child/ adolescent communication on sexual and reproductive health is an area that has previously not had much attention in various parts of Africa. The objective of the review was to determine the barriers and enablers of parent - child conversation and topics discussed within the conversation.
Description of Intervention and/or Methods/Design:
A desk review of ten (10) journals was carried out from studies across Africa. The studies were cross-sectional studies and a couple of reviews carried out over a period of time. The cross sectional studies used quantitative methods and mixed both qualitative and quantitative methods. Respondents were parents, teachers and in a few cases children who participated in in-depth interviews (moderated or self-administered) focus-group discussions (FGDs) and observation methods. Ethical approval was obtained for all the studies from respective county research ethics boards and respondents consent was also obtained for the interviews. In other cases, parental consent was obtained in the case of children being interviewed. This is with exception of two studies that were reviews of other studies conducted. Data was analysed depending on it being qualitative or quantitavie using various analytical tools.
Results/Lessons Learned:
There is need to empower parents on how to conduct sexual and reproductive health conversations with their children. The review showed that conversations had more impact when conducted early and possibly with a parent of the opposite sex. There is need for the conversation to be participatory, that is to include the adolescent and consider their views on sexual and reproductive issues. To be able to make lasting impact on sexual and reproductive health, parents roles must be recognized and adolescents must be involved to even help understand what kind of conversation they want to have.
Discussion/Implications for the Field:
To transform lives and conversations on sexual and reproductive health, parents need to be considered in capacity building efforts. There is still much to be done to counter the stigma on sexual and reproductive health conversations especially among parents and their children. The parent child conversation is part of what is needed at an early stage to transform SRH in african...
Abstract submitted by:
Salome Onyando
Source
Approved abstract for the postponed 2020 SBCC Summit in Marrakech, Morocco. Provided by the International Steering Committee for the Summit. Image credit: Jessica Lea/DFID via Flickr - (CC BY-NC 2.0)