Perceived burden, causes and consequences of adolescent pregnancy in the rural Maharashtra: a cultural domain analysis

Abstract

The existing level of the early age pregnancy necessitates in-depth discussions and study. The objective of this study is to explore the perception of rural population regarding adolescent pregnancy with reference to the perceived burden, causes and consequences. A cross-sectional study through cultural domain analysis using free listing and participatory learning and action (PLA) tool of ten seed analysis was used for exploring the perceptions of the community. Cognitive salience was estimated using the Sutrop (Su) index. The perceived burden of adolescent pregnancy was around 18%. Early marriage (Su index=0.274), love/relationship (Su index=0.246), pre-marital sex (Su index=0.215), rape/incest (Su index=0.162), and poor educational status (Su index=0.152) were the salient causes of adolescent pregnancy. The salient consequences identified were weak baby (Su index=0.170), social stigma (Su index=0.124), excessive bleeding during delivery (Su index=0.114), mother may die (Su index=0.112) and abortion (Su index = 0.109). Teenage pregnancy is perceived as a problem by the community. The causes of teenage pregnancy in this setting are multi-dimensional and are deeply embedded in the system of local values, beliefs and practices.