Keywords
adolescent girl, India, knowledge and attitude, mother and daughter communication, reproductive health
This article is included in the Datta Meghe Institute of Higher Education and Research collection.
Adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19 are especially susceptible to problems with sexual and reproductive health (SRH), including unwanted pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and unsafe abortion. Approximately 18% of individuals within this age group reside in India. During this stage, puberty represents a major transition, especially concerning reproductive changes. Sexual and reproductive health conversations with adolescents help to establish their perceptions, attitudes, and values. Mother-daughter conversations serve as an important source of information for adolescent girls, yet many lack access to this knowledge. This study aimed to assess the present status of communication about reproductive health between mothers and their adolescent daughters.
This study aims to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and information sources regarding reproductive health among adolescent daughters, also assessing how frequently they engage in communication on these topics.
A community-based cross-sectional study involving both urban and rural areas will be conducted in the Wardha district. The pre-tested questionnaire survey will be used for this study to gather data using a simple random sampling method. A descriptive approach will outline the frequency, communication type, and number of topics for discussions regarding reproductive health between mothers and adolescent daughters. To investigate the communication status between mother and adolescent daughter the chi-square test will be applied.
The findings from this study could contribute significantly to implementing policies, interventions, and educational initiatives that promote better mother-daughter communication about reproductive health issues, ultimately leading to better adolescent health outcomes.
adolescent girl, India, knowledge and attitude, mother and daughter communication, reproductive health
Adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19 are considered to be one of the most susceptible populations to a variety of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) problems.1 Reproductive health comprises all aspects of one’s physical, mental, and social well-being, not just the lack of illness or disability, about the reproductive system and its processes and functions.2 Every individual has the right to achieve optimal physical and mental well-being, with sexual and reproductive health being essential components. The worldwide Strategy includes a monitoring framework consisting of sixty indicators. This framework aims to help countries and their allies maintain accountability, avoid unnecessary deaths, maintain general health and well-being, and create supportive environments. The goal that no one is “Left Behind” ensures that all women, children, and adolescents can reach their full potential without facing discrimination.3 The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations have acknowledged and emphasised the significance of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) as well as rights in promoting gender equality, overall health, and comprehensive social and economic development.4 India holds the largest number of adolescents globally, totalling 1,428.6 million individuals, representing 18% of its population between the ages of 10 and 19.5,6
Adolescent sexual and reproductive health problems are a major concern in low-income countries. 95% of pregnancies worldwide emerge in nations with lower and middle economic standings, and adolescents between the ages of 15 and 19 account for 11% of all pregnancies worldwide. Offspring born to mothers in their adolescence face a higher risk of early childhood stunting, which impact their cognitive and physical development and reduces their future productivity. Adolescents face many challenges such as early marriage, the higher chance of maternal mortality, unsafe abortions, violence, and STIs like HIV/AIDS. Moreover, improved communication between mothers and their adolescent daughters could lessen the negative effects on society, such as expulsion from school for lack of knowledge.5,7,8 Communication is an essential process that parents use to convey information, knowledge, expectations, values, and beliefs to their children.9
Nowadays, there is a growing concern for the health of adolescents due to civilization, urbanisation, and lifestyle changes.10 Adolescents face many unfulfilled healthcare needs as well as obstacles, such as insufficient experience and education regarding healthcare access. Adolescent births per 1,000 girls in the 15–19 age range are 11 in 2023 and decision-making on reproductive rights and sexual and reproductive health is 66 percent in the year between 2007-2022.6 Around 2.1 million children and young people were estimated to have passed away in just 2021; adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19, accounted for 43% of these deaths.11 Laws have a substantial influence on the health and well-being of adolescents. Some prevent adolescents from harm (e.g., by prohibiting child marriage); others may be harmful by restricting their access to necessary products and services, like contraception.12
Socio-cultural hindrance between mothers and adolescents regarding sexual and reproductive health include shame, generational divides, gender differences, mothers’ education, mothers’ perceptions of their children’s understanding, mothers’ occupations, traditional and religious misconceptions, and a lack of time dedicated to these conversations.13 Adolescents need adults who can relate to them, talk to them, spend time with them, and genuinely care about them.14 One of the most important health-promoting variables for adolescents is their mothers. Their daughters’ general attitudes and behaviours regarding health, including SRH, are greatly influenced by them. They might serve as a valuable resource for their daughters when it comes to learning about SRH.15
Individuals between the ages of 10–19 face various challenges while transitioning from childhood to adulthood and one of the reasons for this problem is the lack of sufficient and precise knowledge about sexual and reproductive matters.16 One of the known obstacles to successfully implementing the programmes is the social taboo and stigma associated with educating adolescents about reproductive health. Numerous unintended pregnancies result in abortions, and unsafe and occasionally self-induced abortions can result in death or serious health issues. On the other hand, a lot of these issues can be resolved with strong proof and open discussion.10 Global research has demonstrated that parents can be an effective source of information for adolescents regarding sexual health. Research suggests that healthy reproductive practices among adolescents can be prevented and their health can be improved through effective mother-adolescent-daughter communication.17
Many developed nations have carried out studies on parent-adolescent communication about reproductive health. However, there are few studies examining the communication about reproductive health between mothers and adolescent daughters in low- and middle-income countries.9 The United Nations’ goal of providing all people with access to sexual and reproductive health care cannot be achieved unless we reach adolescents through various interventions, such as interacting with parents in low and middle-income nations. To help policymakers, programme planners, and implementers create effective interventions to address adolescent reproductive health issues. This study aims to assess the reproductive health communication between mothers and adolescent daughters.
Ethical approval was obtained from the Datta Meghe Institute of Higher Education and Research (DU) Institutional Ethics Committee (approval number: DMIHER (DU)/IEC/2023/31), on 20th December 2023. Additionally, written informed consent will be obtained from all the participants before their inclusion in the study. Privacy and confidentiality will be strictly maintained throughout the study. Measures will be taken to minimize any potential harm or risks to the participants such as referrals for medical consultation if needed. We will ensure that the interviewee has privacy and feels comfortable throughout the interview.
School-going adolescent girls in the Wardha district’s rural and urban areas, between the age group 13 to 19 will be included in the study.
Girls between the ages of 13 and 19 must be enrolled in school, living with their biological mother and who are willing to participate in the study.
The study excluded girls who lived in hostels, had mothers who passed away, lived with their stepmother, or refused to grant consent to be part of the study.
According to the previous study titled “reproductive health communication between mother and adolescent daughter”,18 the P value was found to be 50% and the sample size was calculated using the following formula.
Alpha (α) = 0.05
Estimated proportion (p) = 0.5
Estimated error (d) = 0.05
Minimum sample size required 385
Hence, the current status of mother and daughter communication on reproductive health will be assessed by analyzing data collected from a sample of 385 adolescent girls.
Simple random sampling will be employed for selecting the girls who will participate in the interview.
The primary outcome variables for this study will be related to knowledge and attitude, the amount of topics covered on reproductive health, the frequency and types of interactions that occur between mother and daughter when it comes to sexual and reproductive health, as well as socio-demographic data, knowledge sources, and barriers related to sexual and reproductive health (Table 1: lists the main study parameters, their variables, data sources, and data collection method).
Information on the mother-adolescent daughter’s communication status on reproductive health will be collected using pre-tested and pre-validated, close-ended questionnaires in both English and Hindi language. The objective to assess the knowledge and attitude of reproductive health in adolescent daughters will be covered using a knowledge and attitude questionnaire under the variable topics discussed on reproductive health in mother-daughter interactions. Knowledge score will be assessed through dichotomized techniques that is ‘Yes’ (1) and ‘No’ (0) and attitude will be scored using a Likert scale that is Strongly agree (1), Agree (2), Nor agree/Nor disagree (3), Disagree (4), Strongly disagree (5).
The data collection process will be carried out electronically using the Kobo toolbox after informed consent has been obtained, and it should take about ten minutes. The online survey will be completed by the participants.
Selection bias: If the sample is not representative of the entire population, the study’s findings regarding the communication patterns between mothers and daughters regarding reproductive health might not be accurate. This can be overcome by using a random sampling technique.
Response bias: Instead of telling the truth participants might answer that they believe is socially acceptable or desirable. This can be reduced by rapport building with the participants to create a comfortable and non-judgemental environment.
The information gathered from the Kobo toolbox will be imported into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and subjected to statistical analysis utilising the R Statistical Software https://www.r-project.org. The data will be tallied and visualised using tables and graphs. The mother’s and the adolescent daughter’s communication status will be investigated through bivariate analysis. To determine whether socio-demographic information and communication status are related, the Chi Square test will be applied.
Investigating how the quality and extent of communication between mothers and daughters influence adolescent health behaviours. It helps in understanding the frequency, depth, and comfort level of discussions between mothers and daughters regarding reproductive health topics. It also identifies barriers that hinder open communication, such as being culturally unacceptable, feelings of shame, ignorance, and lack of communication skills. Communication on these topics is less likely to suffer from adverse issues related to reproductive health than those who have less knowledge, believe that communicating on this topic has no importance or feel embarrassed to talk on such topics.
A cross-sectional study on the discussion of reproductive health issues between a mother and her adolescent daughter in Bangladesh was carried out by Zakaria et al. (2019). This study found that 78% of students said they had their first conversation with their mothers after the onset of their period, and 62% of students said that their mothers were the main source of information about reproductive health. These findings aligned with past research conducted in developing nations. the principal information source about reproductive health was found to be positively correlated with a high communication level in this study. This suggests that if students learned about reproductive health primarily from friends, classmates, or the internet, they were less likely to have positive interactions with their mothers.18
Only 23.1% of parents reported having at least two conversations about SRH issues in the previous year, according to the Bekele et al. (2022) study. This level of communication is also in line with results from other research conducted in Ethiopia, which showed that even though it is acknowledged to be important, the discussion is infrequent. it is, however, higher than the outcomes of a study conducted in Dera Town and lower than other findings from Southern Ethiopia and overseas in the USA. These discrepancies could be caused by social-economic, cultural, and variations in how each group experiences and learns about SRH from their mothers.8
Shiferaw et al. (2014) reported that 36.9% of participants said they had discussed sexual and reproductive health (SRH)-related matters with their parents in the preceding year. A related investigation done in Hawasa and Ethiopia, uncovered that students who had literate mothers were more likely to discuss these issues than students who had illiterate mothers. Differences in communication abilities, the significance of SRH conversations, and the accessibility of information regarding sexual and reproductive health could all contribute to this variance.10
The majority of mothers who took part in the study thought that adolescents shouldn’t have access to information about sexual health, according to Mataraarachchi et al. (2023). Mothers in this study stated that they would feel more comfortable talking to their adolescents about sexual matters if they had previously received sex education in school. Research has already shown that when adolescents take part in sexual health education programmes at school, there is an increase in the amount of sexual communication that happens between parents and adolescent children.19
Kusheta et al. (2019) reported that only 35.0% of adolescents had conversations with their parents. This is lower than the percentage reported in research conducted in the Ethiopian cities of Debremarkos (36.9%), Sidama Zone (59.1%), Dire Dawa (37%), and Mekele (43.5%). The reason for the discrepancy could be attributed to the fact that 59.4% of participants reside in rural areas, potentially limiting their access to sexual and reproductive health information. Consequently, their less exposure probably made them less inclined to talk to their parents about these topics.14
Figshare: STROBE checklist for ‘Exploring the status of mother and adolescent daughter communication on reproductive health: a cross-sectional study’. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.25311223.v1. 20
Data are available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (CC-BY 4.0).
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Is the rationale for, and objectives of, the study clearly described?
Partly
Is the study design appropriate for the research question?
Yes
Are sufficient details of the methods provided to allow replication by others?
Partly
Are the datasets clearly presented in a useable and accessible format?
Not applicable
Competing Interests: No competing interests were disclosed.
Reviewer Expertise: Adolescent health, sexual health
Is the rationale for, and objectives of, the study clearly described?
Partly
Is the study design appropriate for the research question?
Partly
Are sufficient details of the methods provided to allow replication by others?
Partly
Are the datasets clearly presented in a useable and accessible format?
Not applicable
Competing Interests: No competing interests were disclosed.
Reviewer Expertise: Sexuality and Reproductive Health
Alongside their report, reviewers assign a status to the article:
Invited Reviewers | ||
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Version 1 20 Mar 24 |
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Provide sufficient details of any financial or non-financial competing interests to enable users to assess whether your comments might lead a reasonable person to question your impartiality. Consider the following examples, but note that this is not an exhaustive list:
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