Research Article

PERCEPTION OF IN-SCHOOL ADOLESCENT GIRLS ABOUT STIGMA ASSOCIATED WITH SELECTED SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH ISSUES IN IBADAN NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA

Abdulhafeez D Abdullateef1*, Rasheedat O. Abdullateef1
1 Department of Child and Adolescent Health, Institute of Child Health, Faculty of Public Health, University of Ibadan, Nigeria.
* Corresponding author: Abdulhafeezdamola5@gmail.com
Published: Aug, 2024
DOI: 10.67203/gjhrr.2024.kndd211f
Pages: 6-15
Views: 18
Downloads: 10

Abstract

The conceptualisation of stigma has been in existence for a while among adolescents. Presently, Nigeria has no country-specific report about stigma associated with sexual and reproductive health issues most especially risky sexual activity, unwanted pregnancy, indiscriminate contraceptive use and unsafe abortion. This study therefore described the rate of perceived stigma among the in-school adolescent girls in Ibadan North Local Government Area, Nigeria. It also examined the perception of the respondents about the sexual and reproductive health stigma. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted that included 633 female students from the senior secondary classes in Ibadan Local Government Area. A self-administered semi-structured questionnaire was used to obtain data about socio-demographic characteristics and perceived stigma about selected sexual and reproductive health issues using a 20-item set of sexual and reproductive health stigma scale on a 3-point modified Likert scale (agree, neutral and disagree). Descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, and correlation at p=0.05 were used to analyse the data. The respondent’s mean age was 15.3 ±1.5 years. Two hundred and five (32.4%) of the respondents were in early adolescence and, 370 (58.5%) were in mid-adolescence. Five hundred and ten (80.6%) of the respondents were from the Yoruba ethnic group and three hundred and ninety-three (62.1%) of them were Christians. More than half (82.8%) of the respondents were from monogamous families, 59 (88.3%) of the respondent's parents were married and 38 (6%) were separated. Two hundred and fifty-nine (40.9%) of the respondents were from low socioeconomic class. Respondents in early, mid and late adolescence who had high perceived stigma were 174 (84.9%), 311 (84.1%) and 54 (93.1%) with high perceived stigma respectively. Among the ethnic groups, 441 (83.1%) of the respondents who were Yoruba had a high perceived stigma with regard to sexual and reproductive health issues. Common reasons for high perceived stigma about sexual and reproductive health issues among the respondents were, 370(58.5%), 401(63.3%), and 399(63%) of the respondents agreed to the queries that people would behave differently from adolescents who are known to have had sex, abortion and used modern contraceptive respectively. Also, more than half of the respondents (81.4%) agreed that being pregnant would bring shame to their family, and 275(43.4%) agreed that modern contraceptives would have a negative effect on adolescent health. There was a high perceived stigma among the in-school adolescent girls in Ibadan North local government area. It is therefore necessary to sensitize the community about the stigma associated with sexual and reproductive health issues.  

Keywords

Adolescents girls perception stigma sexual and reproductive health issues

References

  1. Abajobir, A. A., & Seme, A. (2014). Reproductive health knowledge and services utilization among rural adolescents in East Gojjam zone, Ethiopia: A community-based cross-sectional study. BMC Health Services Research. https://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1472-6963-14-138
  2. Akorede, S. N., Hajara, A. A., & Muhammed, A. (2019). Effects of reproductive health education intervention on sexual choices of female undergraduates of University of Ilorin. Journal of Physical Education Research, 6(2), 50-55
  3. Arboleda, J. (2002). What causes stigma? World Psychiatry. 1(1), pp. 25–26.
  4. Atuyambe, L. (2008). Adolescent and adult first time mothers' health seeking practices during pregnancy and early motherhood in Wakiso district, central Uganda. Reproductive Health, 5(1), p. 13. https://doi.org/10.1186/1742-4755-5-13.
  5. Axinn, W. G., & Thornton, A. (1996). The Influence of Parents' Marital Dissolutions on Children's Attitudes Toward Family Formation. Demography, 33(1), pp. 66–81. https://doi.org/10.2307/2061714.
  6. Barney, L.J. (2006). Stigma about depression and its impact on help-seeking intentions. The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 40(1), pp. 51–54. https://doi.org/10.1080/j.1440-1614.2006.01741.x.
  7. Bermea, A. M., Toews, M. L., & Wood, L. G. (2018). Students Getting Pregnant Are Not Gonna Go Nowhere: Manifestations of Stigma in Adolescent Mothers' Educational Environment. Youth & Society, 50(3), pp. 423–436. https://doi.org/10.1177/0044118X16661734.
  8. Bolarinwa, O. A. (2022). Spatial distribution and factors associated with adolescent pregnancy in Nigeria: a multi-level analysis. Archives of Public Health, 80(1), p. 43. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13690-022-00789-3.
  9. Campbell, (2006). Barriers to fertility regulation: a review of the literature. Stud Fam Plan', pp. 87–98.
  10. Clark, S. (2004). Early marriage and HIV risks in sub-Saharan Africa. Stud Fam Plann, p. 35):149-60. Available at: https://doi.org/doi: 10.1111/j.1728-4465.
  11. Comstock, G. (1978). Television and Human Behavior. Columbia University Press, 562 West 113th Street, New York, New York 10025.
  12. Corrigan, P. W. Markowitz, F. E. & Watson, A. C. (2004). Structural Levels of Mental Illness Stigma and Discrimination. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 30(3), pp. 481–491. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.schbul.a007096.
  13. Devaney, A. (1981). The determinants of adolescent pregnancy and childbearing. Final report to National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Washington DC: Mathematica Policy Research.
  14. Fatusi, A. O., & Hindin, M. J. (2010). Adolescents and youth in developing countries: Health and development issues in context. Journal of Adolescence, 33(4), 499–508. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2010.05.019.
  15. Federal Ministry of Health, Nigeria. (2010). Meeting the sexual and reproductive health needs of young people in Nigeria: A guide for action.
  16. Fisher, J.W. (2013). Relating with God contributes to variance in happiness, over that from personality and age. Religions, 4(3):313-324.
  17. Goffman, E. (1963). Stigma: Notes on the management of spoiled identity.
  18. Gretchen, G. (2018). Overcoming Stigma. NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness. Available at: https://www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/October-2018/Overcoming-Stigma.
  19. Hall, K. S., Morhe, E., Manu, A., Harris, L., Ela, E., & Dalton, V.K. (2018). Factors associated with sexual and reproductive health stigma among adolescent girls in Ghana. PLoS ONE, 13(4). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0195163.
  20. Hatzenbuehler, M.L., Jo, C.P., & Bruce, G.L. (2013). Stigma as a Fundamental Cause of Population Health Inequalities. American Journal of Public Health, 103(5), pp. 813–821. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2012.301069.
  21. ICPD, (1994). Sexual and Reproductive Health is a Fundamental Human Right: UNFPA Executive Director Addresses Human Rights Council.
  22. Jeynes, W. H. (2001). The effects of recent parental divorce on their children's sexual attitudes and behaviour. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 35(1–2), 115–133. https://doi.org/10.1300/J087v35n01_07.
  23. Julia, R., & Scott, H. (2011). Secondary Sexual Characteristics - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/secondary-sexual-characteristics
  24. Kids First. (2021). Stages of Adolescence, Kids First Pediatric Partners. https://www.kidsfirstpediatricpartners.com/parent-education/stages-adolescence.
  25. Laura, N., Melissa, A. S., & Edwin, W. (2019). Stigma in health facilities: why it matters and how we can change it. BMC Medicine. https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-019-1256-2.
  26. Link, B. G., & Phelan, J. C. (2001). Conceptualizing Stigma, Annual Review of Sociology, 27(1), 363–385. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.soc.27.1.363.
  27. Makenzius, M. (2019). Stigma related to contraceptive use and abortion in Kenya: scale development and validation. Reproductive Health 16. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-019-0799-1.
  28. Marshall, W.A., & Tanner, J.M. (1969). Variations in pattern of pubertal changes in girls. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 44(235), pp. 291–303.
  29. Mayo Clinic, (2017). Mental health. Overcoming the stigma of mental illness. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/mental-illness/in-depth/mental-health/art.
  30. Merriam-Webster. Stigma | Definition of Stigma by Merriam-Webster. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stigma.
  31. Morris, J. L., & Rushwan, H. (2015). Adolescent sexual and reproductive health: The global challenges. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijgo.2015.02.006. PMID 26433504.
  32. Morris, R. G. M. (1982). Place navigation impaired in rats with hippocampal lesions. Nature, 297(5868), pp. 681–683. https://doi.org/10.1038/297681a0.
  33. Munakampe, M. N., Zulu, J. M., & Michelo, C. (2018). Contraception and abortion knowledge, attitudes & practices among adolescents from low & middle-income countries: a systematic review. BMC Health Services Research, 18(1), p.909. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-018-3722-5
  34. Norris, A. (2011). Abortion Stigma: A Reconceptualization of Constituents, Causes, and Consequences. Women's Health Issues, 21(3), pp. S49–S54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.whi.2011.02.010.
  35. Robert, (1982). Developing the concept of curriculum emphases in science education -Science Education. Available at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/sce.3730660209 (Accessed: 23 November 2021).
  36. Shah, F., & Zelnik, M. (1981). Parent and peer influence on sexual behaviour, contraceptive use, and pregnancy experience of young women. Journal of Marriage and the Family. p. 43(2), 339-348. https://doi.org/10.2307/351385.
  37. Silva, P. (2015). The key to youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services. Available at: https://www.iwhc.org/2015/01/key-youth-friendly-sexual-reproductivehealth-services.
  38. Singh, S. (1998). Adolescent childbearing in developing countries: a global review. Studies in Family Planning, 29(2), pp. 117–136.
  39. SlapGB, (2003). Sexual behaviour of adolescents in Nigeria: cross-sectional study of secondary school students. BMJ, p. 326:15. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.326.7379.15.
  40. Stangl, A. L. (2019). The Health Stigma and Discrimination Framework: a global, crosscutting framework to inform research, intervention development, and policy on health-related stigmas. BMC Medicine, 17(1), p. 31. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-019-1271-3.
  41. Tunde, S. (2006). Factors Affecting Adolescent Sexuality among in-school Adolescents in Lagos, Nigeria. Training on Sexual Health Research Geneva, Switzerland. Fonds Universitaire Maurice Chalumeau Scholarship https://www.gfmer.ch/Medical_education_En/PGC_SH_2006/Reviews/pdf/Segun_2006.
  42. UNFPA, (2014). Adolescent sexual and reproductive health. https://www.unfpa.org/pcm/node/9110.
  43. UNHR, (1996). Sexual and reproductive health and rights. https://www.ohchr.org/en/issues/women/wrgs/pages/healthrights.aspx.
  44. UNICEF, (2019). Adolescents Statistics, UNICEF DATA. https://data.unicef.org/topic/adolescents/overview.
  45. United Nations, (2021). Ibadan, Nigeria Metro Area Population 1950-2021. https://www.macrotrends.net/cities/21990/ibadan/population.
  46. Vicki, M., Mwangome, N., Irene, J., & Aalun, D. (2019). Who should decide about children's and adolescents' participation in health research? The views of children and adults in rural Kenya. Doi:10.1186/s12910-019-0375-9.
  47. Westney, O. E., Jenkins, R.R., & Benjamin, C.A. (1983). Sociosexual Development of Preadolescents, in J. Brooks-Gunn and A.C. Petersen (eds) Girls at Puberty: Biological and Psychosocial Perspectives. Boston, MA: Springer US, pp. 273–300. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0354-9_12.
  48. Whirbeck, L. B., Simons, R.L., & Kao, M.Y. (1994). The Effects of Divorced Mothers' Dating Behaviors and Sexual Attitudes on the Sexual Attitudes and Behaviors of Their Adolescent Children. Journal of Marriage and Family, 56(3), pp. 615–621. https://doi.org/10.2307/352872.
  49. Wilson, C. N., & Sathiyasusuman, A. (2015). Associated risk factors of STIs and multiple sexual relationships among youths in Malawi. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0134286.
  50. World Health Organization, (2008). Reproductive health.
  51. World Health Organization, (2012). Expanding access to contraceptive services for adolescents.
  52. World Health Organization, (2014). Orientation programme on adolescent health for health care providers.
  53. World Health Organization, (2017). Maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health. 2017. http://www.who.int/maternal_child_adolescent/topics/adolescence/development/en.
  54. World Health Organization, (2021). Adolescent and young adult health. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescents-health-risks-and-solutions.
  55. World Health Organization, (2002). Global consultation on adolescent health service: A consensus statement.' World Health Organization. http://doi.org/WHO/FCH/CAH/02.18.
  56. World Health Organization, (1998). Maternal Health and Newborn Health / Safe Motherhood Programme. Unsafe abortion : global and regional estimates of incidence of and mortality due to unsafe abortion with a listing of available country data. WHO/RHT/MSM/97.16. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/64087.
  57. World Health Organization, (1993). The Health of young people : a challenge and a promise. World Health Organization. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/37353.
  58. Zelnik, M., & Kantner, J. F. (1980). Sexual activity, contraceptive use and pregnancy among metropolitan-area teenagers: 1971-1979. Family Planning Perspectives, 12(5), pp. 230–231, 233–237.
How to Cite

Abdullateef, A. D., & Abdullateef, R. O. (2024). PERCEPTION OF IN-SCHOOL ADOLESCENT GIRLS ABOUT STIGMA ASSOCIATED WITH SELECTED SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH ISSUES IN IBADAN NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA. Global Journal of Health Related Researches, 6(2), 6-15. https://doi.org/10.67203/gjhrr.2024.kndd211f

A. D. Abdullateef, and R. O. Abdullateef, "PERCEPTION OF IN-SCHOOL ADOLESCENT GIRLS ABOUT STIGMA ASSOCIATED WITH SELECTED SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH ISSUES IN IBADAN NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA," Global Journal of Health Related Researches, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 6-15, August 2024. doi: 10.67203/gjhrr.2024.kndd211f

Share this article:
Facebook X / Twitter LinkedIn
Download PDF View Full Text (PDF) Back to Articles