Abstract
BackgroundAdolescent mothers in Zimbabwe often experience stigma, isolation, and lack coping skills and resources to successfully navigate motherhood. Social isolation and stigma are linked to poor mental health outcomes. No interventions currently address mental health of adolescent mothers in Zimbabwe. Peer support groups in other contexts have been effective at increasing social connectedness, self-esteem, and self-efficacy, providing coping mechanisms to manage stigma experiences, in addition to empowering and improving mental health of adolescents and adolescent mothers. To develop a community-based peer support intervention, we aimed to understand the unique needs of adolescent mothers, how peer support groups could address those needs, and the feasibility of implementing the intervention.MethodsFocus group discussions were conducted with 86 adolescent mothers aged 14–18 years, 24 community health workers, and 25 key community stakeholders in a low-income high-density community in Harare. Data were analyzed thematically using NVivo 12 software.ResultsParticipants described adolescent mother experiences with stigma and social isolation, in addition to challenges including gossip, lack of employment and educational opportunities, and gaps in services and programming. Peer support groups for adolescent mothers were welcomed to improve mental health, social support, knowledge sharing, and skills building. Participants identified varying preferred frequency and duration of group sessions addressing topics including income generation, mental health, and gossip, facilitated by community health workers at health and community centers. The use of WhatsApp Messenger to support intervention efforts was welcomed as an affordable and user-friendly platform to share information. Implementation (i.e., training, supervision, frequency, location, and co-facilitation) was feasible.ConclusionsAdolescent mothers, community health workers and key community stakeholders welcomed the peer support groups as a feasible way to address the mothers’ needs.
Highlights
Adolescent mothers in Zimbabwe often experience stigma, isolation, and lack coping skills and resources to successfully navigate motherhood
Adolescent mothers in Zimbabwe experience challenges that stem from social isolation and stigma and negatively influence health
This study solicited perspectives from adolescent mothers, health workers, and key community members to inform the development of a peer support intervention that was subsequently piloted by the study team
Summary
Adolescent mothers in Zimbabwe often experience stigma, isolation, and lack coping skills and resources to successfully navigate motherhood. Peer support groups in other contexts have been effective at increasing social connectedness, self-esteem, and self-efficacy, providing coping mechanisms to manage stigma experiences, in addition to empowering and improving mental health of adolescents and adolescent mothers. Almost a quarter of adolescent girls aged 15–19 years in Zimbabwe have begun childbearing [1]. These pregnancies are often unintended, due to early marriage, sexual abuse, or risky sexual behavior [2]. There is stigma related to adolescent pregnancy and motherhood in Zimbabwe with adolescent mothers often feeling isolated due to lack of social support with a loss of social networks and educational opportunities. The stigma of adolescent pregnancy and motherhood is well documented in both developing and developed countries with stigma experienced from both within the family, from peers, institutions such as schools and health facilities and by the community at large [3,4,5,6]
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