doi: 10.56294/shp202387

 

ORIGINAL

 

Level of resilience in adolescent motherhood attended at a hospital center in Lima

 

Nivel de resiliencia en la maternidad adolescente atendidas en un centro hospitalario de Lima

 

David Hugo Bernedo-Moreira1 , Alfredo Giovanni Lazo-Barreda2 , Paul Espiritu-Martinez3 , Rita Liss Ramos Perez4  *, Amarelys Román-Mireles5  *

 

1Universidad Peruana Unión, Perú.

2Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa, Perú. 

3Universidad Nacional Autónoma Altoandina de Tarma, Junín, Perú. 

4Universidad de Panamá, Panamá. 

5Universidad de Carabobo, Venezuela.

 

Cite as: Bernedo-Moreira DH, Lazo-Barreda AG, Espiritu-Martinez P, Ramos Perez RL, Román-Mireles A. Level of resilience in adolescent motherhood attended at a hospital center in Lima. South Health and Policy. 2023; 2:87. https://doi.org/10.56294/shp202387

 

Submitted: 10-11-2022                   Revised: 15-03-2023                   Accepted: 12-10-2023                 Published: 13-10-2023

 

Editor: Dr. Telmo Raúl Aveiro-Róbalo  

 

Corresponding author: Rita Liss Ramos Perez *

 

ABSTRACT

 

Resilience in teenage mothers will play an important role, as it will help them improve their ability to cope with situations that make them vulnerable during pregnancy. Therefore, the research objective is to determine the level of resilience in teenage mothers treated at a hospital in Lima. This is a quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional, non-experimental study with a total population of 125 teenage mothers who responded to a questionnaire on sociodemographic aspects and the 25-item Connor and Davidson Resilience Scale. The results show that 5 (n=4,3 %) have a low level of resilience, 29 (n=25,2 %) have a medium level of resilience and 81 (n=70,4 %) have a high level of resilience. In conclusion, the adolescent’s environment must be assessed, as this will allow us to identify any protective or risk factors that promote resilience.

 

Keywords: Resilience; Adolescents Mothers; Mental Health.

 

RESUMEN

 

La resilencia en las madres adolescentes tendrá un papel importante, dado que ayudara a la adolescente a mejora su capacidad de afrontamiento ante situaciones que la hagan vulnerable durante su embarazo, por ello el objetivo de investigación es determinar el nivel de resiliencia en la maternidad adolescente atendidas en un centro hospitalario de Lima. Es un estudio cuantitativo, descriptivo-transversal y no experimental; con una población total de 125 madres adolescentes que respondieron un cuestionario de aspectos sociodemográficos y el instrumento de Escala de  Resiliencia de Connor y Davidson en la versión de 25 items. En sus resultados, podemos observar que, 5(n=4,3 %) tienen un nivel de resiliencia baja, 29(n=25,2 %) nivel de resiliencia media y 81(n=70,4 %) nivel de resiliencia alta. En conclusión, se debe evaluar el entorno de la adolescente, ya que nos permitirá evidenciar si se presenta factores protectores o de riesgo que fomenten la resiliencia.

 

Palabras clave: Resiliencia; Madres Adolescentes; Salud Mental.

 

 

 

INTRODUCTION

Teenage pregnancy rates are becoming increasingly relevant among those with limited socioeconomic and educational resources, and this has long-term implications for girls, their families, and communities.(1,2)

However, girls and young women in vulnerable communities around the world often lack access to quality education and distance learning opportunities,(3,4) and have therefore been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.(5,6)

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) estimated that 11 million girls may not have returned to school due to the disruption caused by COVID-19. In addition to being excluded from education, the crisis puts girls at risk of teenage pregnancy, early and forced marriage, and violence.(7)

In this regard, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that, globally, the adolescent birth rate has declined, but that rates are uneven across the world, with the most significant declines in South Asia and the slowest declines in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa, which continue to have the highest rates of adolescent pregnancy worldwide.(8)

Similarly, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) maintains that in Latin America and the Caribbean, more than 140 million adolescents are in a vulnerable situation, with unplanned pregnancy being the second highest rate of teenage pregnancy in the world, with an estimated 18 % of pregnancies occurring in women under the age of 20.(9) As a result, maternal mortality in Latin America and the Caribbean is among the top three causes of death among adolescents between the ages of 15 and 19 due to the risk of death because their bodies are not developed enough to carry a pregnancy at that stage.(10)

Therefore, having babies during adolescence can have serious consequences for the health of the young woman and her baby.(11) Furthermore, adolescents’ bodies are not yet fully developed, and too short a pregnancy can lead to high rates of debilitating or life-threatening conditions during pregnancy.(12,13)

In a study conducted in Colombia with 499 pregnant adolescents, the results showed that 12,8 % of the participants had low resilience, associating them with family dysfunction, domestic violence, decreased happiness, and low self-esteem.(14)

In a study conducted in Nigeria with 241 adolescent participants, the results showed that 77,2 % of teenage girls had low levels of resilience, with factors such as shame, rejection of pregnancy by their partner, and lack of parental support being predictors of low resilience.(15)

In a study conducted in Malaysia with 34 pregnant participants, the results showed that the pregnant women had moderate resilience and that factors such as rejection or marginalization by their parents, coping with pregnancy, and depression decreased resilience levels.(16)

Therefore, the research objective is to determine the level of resilience in adolescent mothers treated at a hospital in Lima.

 

METHOD

Research type and design

The study is quantitative in nature and uses a descriptive, cross-sectional, non-experimental methodology.(17)

 

Population

The population consisted of a total of 125 participants from a district in Lima.

 

Inclusion Criteria

·     Adolescent mothers who attend the hospital center in Lima.

·     Adolescent mothers between the ages of 10 and 19

·     Adolescent mothers who voluntarily agreed to participate in the study and were informed about the implications of participating

 

Technique and Instrument

The data collection technique was a survey, which presented sociodemographic data and the Connor and Davidson Resilience Scale in its 25-item version (CD-RISC 25).

The CD-RISC 25 instrument has 25 items distributed across five dimensions (persistence-tenacity-self-efficacy, control under pressure, adaptation and ability to recover, power and purpose, and spirituality). Scores are determined using a Likert scale where “0 = never,” “1 = rarely,” “2 = sometimes,” “3 = often,” and “4 = almost always,” with a final score ranging from 0 to 100 points, where the higher the score, the greater the resilience of the teenage mother.(18)

The reliability of the instrument was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha, obtaining a score of 0,913 (α > 0,6) for the 25 items of the instrument, which allows us to determine that the instrument is reliable.

 

Place and Application of the Instrument

First, administrative arrangements were made to formally enter the hospital located in the district of Comas, and then inform them about the study to be conducted so that they would be aware of the research.

 

RESULTS

 

Figure 1. Level of resilience in adolescent mothers treated at a hospital in Lima

 

In figure 1, we can see that 4,3 % of the participants have a low level of resilience, 25,2 % have medium resilience, and 70,4 % have high resilience.

 

Figure 2. Level of resilience in terms of persistence, tenacity, and self-efficacy in adolescent mothers treated at a hospital in Lima

 

Figure 2 shows that, in terms of persistence, tenacity, and self-efficacy, 73 % of participants have a high level of resilience, 21,7 % have a medium level, and 5,2 % have a low level.

 

Figure 3. Level of resilience in terms of control under pressure in adolescent mothers treated at a hospital in Lima

 

In figure 3, we can see that, with regard to the dimension of control under pressure, 72,2 % of the participants have a high level of resilience, 20,9 % have a medium level of resilience, and 7 % have a low level of resilience.

Figure 4. Level of resilience in the dimension of adaptation and ability to recover in adolescent mothers treated at a hospital in Lima

 

Figure 4 shows that, with regard to the adaptation and ability to recover dimension, 60,9 % of participants have a high level of resilience, 37,4 % have a medium level of resilience, and 1,7 % have a low level of resilience.

 

Figure 5. Level of resilience in terms of control and purpose in adolescent mothers treated at a hospital in Lima

 

In figure 5, we can see that, with regard to the control and purpose dimension, 70,4 % of participants have a high level of resilience, 25,2 % have a medium level of resilience, and 4,3 % have a low level of resilience.

 

Figure 6. Level of resilience in the spirituality dimension among adolescent mothers treated at a hospital in Lima

 

In figure 6, we can see that, with regard to the spirituality dimension, 60 % of participants have a high level of resilience, 34,8 % have a medium level of resilience, and 5,2 % have a low level of resilience.

 

DISCUSSION

This study presents the issue of teenage motherhood from the perspective of women’s and adolescent health, highlighting it as a social and public problem that affects teenage girls, putting their lives and those of their babies at risk.

The results of resilience in teenage motherhood showed high levels of resilience. This is because adolescent mothers, by promoting protective factors such as family values, social support, and good mental health, can increase their resilience in situations that compromise their well-being. Although being a young mother can create negative factors that hinder adolescent progress, developing coping skills, decision-making abilities, and adaptability, along with a strong family relationship, can increase resilience indicators.

In terms of dimensions, we can see that all of them have a high level of resilience in their results. This is because the teenage mother possesses the necessary skills to cope with her situation, adapting and overcoming it.

Adversity in an effective manner, which allows the teenage mother to reduce symptoms of stress and anxiety during her pregnancy. This can have an impact if the teenager is unable to cope with situations that compromise her mental health, given that it is a heavy psychological burden as it affects both her physical and mental health, given that she cannot adapt to the situation she is going through and cannot cope with unexpected events that may occur in her life during pregnancy.

Resilience during adolescence is a stage where adolescents require greater social support and a positive mother-child bond, as this can aid them in coping with the challenges they may face in childhood and the transition to motherhood.

 

CONCLUSIONS

It is concluded that comprehensive health strategies should be implemented for teenage mothers to improve their resilience and coping skills.

It is concluded that the adolescent’s environment should be assessed, as this will allow us to identify any protective or risk factors that promote resilience.

 

REFERENCES

1.  Mann L, Bateson D, Black K. TeenAge Pregnancy. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2020;49(6):310-6. doi:10.1016/S0002-9378(15)33096-9.

 

2.  Birhanu B, Kebede D, Kahsay A, Belachew A. Predictors of teenage pregnancy in Ethiopia: A multilevel analysis. BMC Public Health. 2019;19(1):1-10. doi:10.1186/s12889-019-6845-7.

 

3.  SmithBattle L, Phengnum W. An Integrative Review of the Research on Teen Mothers’ Resilience. West J Nurs Res. 2022;1(1):8456. doi:10.1177/01939459221106989.

 

4.  Martins M, Oliveira M, Riul S. Fatores que influenciam a adesão de gestantes adolescentes às práticas recomendadas na assistência pré-natal. Cad Saúde Coletiva. 2022;30(2):181-8. doi:10.1590/1414-462x202230020315.

 

5.  Grazzani I, et al. Adolescents’ Resilience During COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Mediating Role in the Association Between SEL Skills and Mental Health. Front Psychol. 2022;13(1):801761. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.801761.

 

6.  Gansauskas A, et al. Apoio social e resiliência: um olhar sobre a maternidade na adolescência. Acta Paul Enferm. 2022;35(1):e03341. doi:10.37689/acta-ape/2022ao03341.

 

7.  UNESCO. Building resilience in vulnerable youth. 2021. Available from: https://unevoc.unesco.org/home/building_resilience_in_vulnerable_communities.

 

8.  World Health Organization. Embarazo en la adolescencia Datos y cifras Información general. 2022. Available from: https://www.who.int/es/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-pregnancy.

 

9.  United Nations Population Fund. Embarazo en Adolescentes: Trabajando para que las y los jóvenes ingresen a la edad adulta como ciudadanos empoderados. 2021. Available from: https://lac.unfpa.org/es/temas/embarazo-en-adolescentes.

 

10.   United Nations Population Fund. América Latina y el Caribe Tienen la Segunda Tasa Más Alta de Embarazo Adolescente en el Mundo. 2018. Available from: https://lac.unfpa.org/es/news/américa-latina-y-el-caribe-tienen-la-segunda-tasa-más-alta-de-embarazo-adolescente-en-el-mund-1.

 

11.   Bermea A, Forenza B, Rueda H, Toews M. Resiliency and Adolescent Motherhood in the Context of Residential Foster Care. Child Adolesc Soc Work J. 2019;36(5):459-70. doi:10.1007/s10560-018-0574-0.

 

12.   Pfeiffer C, Ahorlu C, Alba S, Obrist B. Understanding resilience of female adolescents towards teenage pregnancy: A cross-sectional survey in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Reprod Health. 2017;14(1):1-12. doi:10.1186/s12978-017-0338-x.

 

13.   Erfina E, Widyawati W, McKenna L, Reisenhofer S, Ismail D. Adolescent mothers’ experiences of the transition to motherhood: An integrative review. Int J Nurs Sci. 2019;6(2):221-8. doi:10.1016/j.ijnss.2019.03.013.

 

14.   Monterrosa Á, Ulloque L, Colón C, Polo E. Resiliencia en gestantes adolescentes del Caribe colombiano: evaluación con la escala de Wagnild y Young. Iatreia. 2020;33(3):209-21. doi:10.17533/udea.iatreia.51.

 

15.   Olajubu A, Omoloye G, Olajubu T, Olowokere A. Stress and resilience among pregnant teenagers in Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Eur J Midwifery. 2021;5(3):1-9. doi:10.18332/ejm/134181.

 

16.   Mohd N, Sekh M, Shaffie F. The Resilience of Unwed Pregnant Teenagers: A Preliminary Survey at Malaysian Women’s Shelter Homes. Malaysian J Soc Sci Humanit. 2021;6(11):285-95. doi:10.47405/mjssh.v6i11.1177.

 

17.   Fernández C, Baptista P. Metodología de la Investigación. 2015. Available from: http://observatorio.epacartagena.gov.co/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/metodologia-de-la-investigacion-sexta-edicion.compressed.pdf.

 

18.   Connor K, Davidson J. Development of a new Resilience scale: The Connor-Davidson Resilience scale (CD-RISC). Depress Anxiety. 2003;18(2):76-82. doi:10.1002/da.10113

 

FUNDING

None.

 

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

 

AUTHORSHIP CONTRIBUTION

Conceptualization: David Hugo Bernedo-Moreira, Alfredo Giovanni Lazo-Barreda, Paul Espiritu-Martinez, Rita Liss Ramos Perez, and Amarelys Román-Mireles.

Data curation: David Hugo Bernedo-Moreira, Alfredo Giovanni Lazo-Barreda, Paul Espiritu-Martinez, Rita Liss Ramos Perez, and Amarelys Román-Mireles.

Formal analysis: David Hugo Bernedo-Moreira, Alfredo Giovanni Lazo-Barreda, Paul Espiritu-Martinez, Rita Liss Ramos Perez, and Amarelys Román-Mireles.

Research: David Hugo Bernedo-Moreira, Alfredo Giovanni Lazo-Barreda, Paul Espiritu-Martinez, Rita Liss Ramos Perez, and Amarelys Román-Mireles.

Methodology: David Hugo Bernedo-Moreira, Alfredo Giovanni Lazo-Barreda, Paul Espiritu-Martinez, Rita Liss Ramos Perez, and Amarelys Román-Mireles.

Project Management: David Hugo Bernedo-Moreira, Alfredo Giovanni Lazo-Barreda, Paul Espiritu-Martinez, Rita Liss Ramos Perez, and Amarelys Román-Mireles.

Resources: David Hugo Bernedo-Moreira, Alfredo Giovanni Lazo-Barreda, Paul Espiritu-Martinez, Rita Liss Ramos Perez, and Amarelys Román-Mireles.

Software: David Hugo Bernedo-Moreira, Alfredo Giovanni Lazo-Barreda, Paul Espiritu-Martinez, Rita Liss Ramos Perez, and Amarelys Román-Mireles.

Supervision: David Hugo Bernedo-Moreira, Alfredo Giovanni Lazo-Barreda, Paul Espiritu-Martinez, Rita Liss Ramos Perez, Amarelys Román-Mireles.

Validation: David Hugo Bernedo-Moreira, Alfredo Giovanni Lazo-Barreda, Paul Espiritu-Martinez, Rita Liss Ramos Perez, Amarelys Román-Mireles.

Visualization: David Hugo Bernedo-Moreira, Alfredo Giovanni Lazo-Barreda, Paul Espiritu-Martinez, Rita Liss Ramos Perez, Amarelys Román-Mireles.

Writing – original draft: David Hugo Bernedo-Moreira, Alfredo Giovanni Lazo-Barreda, Paul Espiritu-Martinez, Rita Liss Ramos Perez, Amarelys Román-Mireles.

Writing – review and editing: David Hugo Bernedo-Moreira, Alfredo Giovanni Lazo-Barreda, Paul Espiritu-Martinez, Rita Liss Ramos Perez, Amarelys Román-Mireles.