Stress and coping among unmarried pregnant university students in South Africa

Background The improvement of maternal and child health (MCH) outcomes is an important part of the sustainable development goals (SDGs). MCH remains an important issue globally as the SDGs have not yet been achieved in most countries. Young women in universities are likely to experience unintended pregnancy due to risky sexual behaviors in tertiary institutions which is characterized by lack of condom and/or contraceptive use and coercion. Pregnant young women in an academic environment are susceptible to stressors associated with unintended pregnancy and academic demands of universities. However, very little is known about the stress and coping among young people in tertiary institutions who get pregnant during the course of their studies and choose to keep the pregnancy. Methods Participants were purposively selected among pregnant students and those in the puerperal period at the time of the study. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were undertaken to explore the experiences of pregnancy and early motherhood, with particular focus on the various stressors experienced and possible coping strategies employed by students. The data were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim, then analysed using thematic analysis. Results The findings show that pregnancy and early motherhood was an experience that came with a lot of stress emanating from fear of parents’ reactions, academic pressure, financial constraints, relationship problems with male partners and experiences of social stigma. Participants used emotion-focused and problem-focused coping strategies to deal with the stressors confronting them during and after their pregnancy. Conclusion The experiences of pregnant students are multifaceted and generally characterised by financial crisis, academic challenges, shame, strenuous relationships and transitioning into a new identity. A multipronged approach to healthcare for pregnant students that focus on comprehensive antenatal services, health education, health promotion, psychosocial interventions including academic counselling will have positive outcomes for young mothers and their children.

Stress and Coping Among Unmarried Pregnant University Students in South Africa

Background: The improvement of maternal and child health (MCH) outcomes is an important part of the sustainable development goals (SDGs). MCH remains an important issue globally as the SDGs have not yet been achieved in most countries. Young women in universities are likely to experience unintended pregnancy due to the risky sexual behavior in tertiary institutions which is characterized by lack of condom and/or contraceptive use and coercion. Pregnant young women in an academic environment are susceptible to stressors associated with unintended pregnancy and academic demands of universities. However, very little is known about the stress and coping among young people in tertiary institutions who get pregnant during the course of their studies and choose to keep the pregnancy. Methods: Participants were purposively selected among pregnant students and those in the puerperal period at the time of the study. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were undertaken to explore the experiences of pregnancy and early motherhood, with particular focus on the various stressors experienced and possible coping strategies employed by students. The data were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim, then analysed using thematic analysis. Results: The findings show that pregnancy and early motherhood was an experience that came with a lot of stress emanating from fear of parents’ reactions, academic pressure, financial constraints, relationship problems with male partners and experiences of social stigma. Participants used emotion-focused and problem-focused coping strategies to deal with the stressors confronting them during and after their pregnancy.Conclusion: The experiences of pregnant students are multifaceted and generally characterised by financial crisis, academic challenges, shame, strenuous relationships and transitioning into a new identity. A multipronged approach to healthcare for pregnant students that focus on comprehensive antenatal services, health education, health promotion, psychosocial interventions including academic counselling will have positive outcomes for adolescent mothers and their children.

Teenage Pregnancy and the Quest for a Place for Pregnant Girls: A Study on the Rule of Pregnant Student Expulsion in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

This study attempts to reveal the problem that lies behind the discourse of teenage pregnancy in relation to the politics of place. It primarily derives from the tendency of a number of schools in Indonesia to expel pregnant students. The quest of a “place” simply refers to public spaces that are more contested for pregnant girls. However, the term place is not limited to its literal definition of physical location. Rather, it involves more complex dimensions such as gender dichotomy, body politics, and the politics of modernity. By examining interview data acquired from several school teachers and girls, this research will contextualize such case within the paradoxical relation between the conception of modernity in delivering the idea of progress and participation, and the extent to which the maternal body is mobilized within the discourse of gender dichotomy in public.

Pengalaman Mahasiswa Yang Mengambil Cuti Akademik Karena Hamil

Student in a college like Health Department of Kupang Polytechnic have a specific problems like as student pregnant. Health of Polytechnic Kupang rule, called Norma and Tolak Ukur has statement abaout pregnant student on chapter academic holiday. Before 2008, the rule was very strict, many female student became victims, as drop out student because they can't show a married later. Pregnant students are increased every year. This study want to know the experience of pregnant students who taking an academic holiday and student action after coming on the study again. The advantage of this study is to revision the rule of Norma and Tolok Ukur healt Polytechnic Of Kupang. The Comperation between female and male student in this college is 4 : 1. The study method was qualitative phenomenology, doing in 7 (seven) program studies , which have students to take place singular semester on 2008, after academic holiday. All of the participants are 18 (eighteen) students came back to school after pass their academic holiday. The participants answer the easy test in home and giving the researcher after finish answer the easy. The researcher analisis the answer by categoical, themes and the conclusions. The results were all of the female pregnant students were very distress emotional during the cases, their parents want them to finish their study. All of the female students want to finish their study. Also after they begun the singular semester they were very happy, more concetration, and higher motivation than before . Keywords: Pregnant students, experiences, academic holiday, Norma amd tolok ukur.

Coping with Pregnancy in Academic Environment: Experiences of Pregnant Students in A Public University in Ghana

Background: The Ghanaian culture expects women of reproductive age to reproduce. This makes pregnancy an acceptable occurrence in most tertiary institutions in Ghana. Although Ghanaian Universities allow pregnancy in school, challenges associated with pregnancies do not exempt pregnant students from following the academic requirements of the universities. This study therefore explores students’ experiences of copying with pregnancy in an academic environment in Ghana. Methods: This was a case study, quantitative and qualitative design using structured questionnaires and semi-structured interview guides respectively for data collection. Respondents comprised twenty (30) pregnant full time and part time female students from campuses of University of Education, Winneba. Data collection was between October 2016 and May 2017. Quantitative data were analysed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 23. The qualitative data was transcribed and manually analysed thematically. Results: The study found that majority of participants were adults between ages 26 and 30 years. More than half of them (66.7%) had no child and this was their first pregnancy which they felt was mistimed as it occurred during schooling, posing some physiological, financial and academic challenges which compelled students to devise various coping strategies to combine academic work and pregnancy amidst limited University provisions for pregnant students. Conclusions: The study results have policy and programme implications for meeting women’s needs for pursuing academic and reproductive goals concurrently. The study recommends that public universities in Ghana should institutionalise programmes on preconception counselling and coping with pregnancy in academic environment to enable female students make informed decisions on exercising their reproductive rights in whilst in the university to ensure positive maternal health outcomes.

Rising from the Ashes: The Journey of Unmarried College Students who Got Pregnant

Sexual adventurism among young people of today seemed to penetrate even the religiously and culturally conservative countries. Thus, it is not surprising that early pregnancy among college and university students becomes a growing issue worldwide. Things become complicated for students who got pregnant while studying because they will be forced to either temporarily or permanently quit from school. The study examined the transition experiences of eight Filipino single and unmarried college students who stopped from their schooling because of early pregnancy but chose to come back to finish their studies. Results revealed that early pregnancy was considered by the participants as a tragedy resulting in negative feelings and thoughts. Some participants thought of and even attempted abortion. However, they did not succumb to their heartbreaking situations but decided to rise and continue their drive towards the realization of their dreams. Their children and their loved ones as well their earnest desires to afford better future for their family with or without their partner’s support have motivated them to endure the difficulties during their comeback to school. As a result of this study, Cor Jesu College has formulated policy on student pregnancy and crafted student support program for pregnant students and students who are already mothers taking into account their concrete needs.

Prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum Malaria among Pregnant Students in Dodoma Region, Tanzania: No Cases Have Been Detected

Malaria in pregnancy, being often asymptomatic, is a major problem in endemic African countries. It is characterized by anemia and placental malaria leading to poor pregnancy outcomes. In 2001 Tanzania adopted an intermittent-preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy (IPTp) policy, which recommends receiving doses of antimalarial drugs every planned visit to the antenatal care centre (ANC), starting from the second trimester. Currently the policy is valid across the whole country, regardless that there are regions with very low malaria endemicity in Tanzania, such as Dodoma region. The current study aimed to show the real prevalence of malaria among young pregnant women in Dodoma region, by measuring the prevalence of malaria among University of Dodoma (UDOM) students, and to describe the social health care features of student female community. Two methods of malaria diagnostic, microscopy, and rapid test, as well as retrospective inspection of ANC registry book, showed the very low prevalence of malaria disease among pregnant students, approximately 0.3%. Additionally, the sociodemographic data from the questionnaires showed that all students use different malaria preventive measures, and most of them have the regular sexual partner. This fact approves the correlation between illiteracy of woman and the risk of malaria infection transmission.