Abstract
In this paper, quantitative and qualitative measurements of maternal psychosocial wellbeing were utilized in three districts in Malawi that guided decision-making to increase the wellbeing of adolescent mothers and promote the healthy upbringing of their children. The 1-year design stage of the study relied on several sources of information: literature search, prior project implementation of similar projects, discussions with officials at the Malawi Department of Social Welfare, and observation visits in the targeted districts. The approaches for collecting data mentioned were triangulated for the development of a baseline survey. The baseline survey generated systematically collected data of the experiences and recalls as well as the missing data from the preliminary evaluation of the existing data. The baseline data gave the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) insight on the type of intervention required in order to give a greater and more holistic effect on the beneficiaries. We also discuss the lessons we learned as to whether the assumptions we had made at the onset were correct. If they were not correct, we explained the measures we took to correct the design or implementation of the project. Finally, the data provided benchmarks for project monitoring and evaluation.
Highlights
Young motherhood is a common threat Malawian girls face, which has negative effects on their future as well as the children they bear
It was concluded that the young mothers were rooted in poverty
It was found that young mothers had all the risk factors that make them vulnerable to Intimate Partner Violence (IPV): parental stress, low self-esteem, low resilience, and poor mother-infant interaction
Summary
Young motherhood is a common threat Malawian girls face, which has negative effects on their future as well as the children they bear. Young mothers may be amongst the most socially and economically disadvantaged women, bearing the brunt of gender-based factors These include role restrictions, high unpaid workloads and gender-based violence that would put Evidence-Based Project Designing and Implementation them at higher risk of common perinatal mental disorders, especially in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) [7]. This tendency of becoming pregnant early deprives a significant part of the population from acquiring knowledge and skills to become successful. Depressive symptoms were common among rural Malawian adolescents where 90% were above the traditional cut-off for screening of depression [13]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
