THE EXPERIENCE OF IMMIGRANT AFRICAN MOTHERS ENGAGING IN REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH EDUCATION WITH DAUGHTERS AGED 10–14 YEARS

[摘要] Mothers providing daughters with reproductive health education (RHE) has been associated with decreased adolescent sexual risk-taking behaviors, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and teen pregnancies. Studies from African countries indicate daughters prefer to receive RHE at an earlier age. However, a review of RHE studies in African countries reveals mothers are reluctant to provide RHE due to religious and cultural beliefs, mother’s education level, and lack of adequate communication techniques. African immigrants in the United States are a fast growing and underrepresented population, in terms of immigrant health research and public health services. It is unclear how they negotiate their new cultural context or how they are influenced by American culture with respect to providing RHE to their children here. To date, most research on immigrant RHE has focused on Hispanic and Asian populations. No studies have examined the experiences of African immigrant mothers related to providing RHE to their adolescent daughters. The specific aims of this study were to 1. Describe the experience of African mothers living in the United States in providing RHE to daughters ages 10–14 years; 2. Describe timing, content of education and socio-cultural context that influence mother-daughter RHE; 3. Explore women’s perceptions of how moving to the United States has changed their ideas about speaking to their daughters about reproductive health. A qualitative descriptive approach was used. Twenty African immigrant mothers with daughters aged 10–14 years from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, completed a demographic questionnaire and interview. Twenty-five subthemes emerged. Three major themes were developed from the subthemes: (1) mothers’ RHE experiences, (2) mothers’ RHE conversations with their own daughters, and (3) mothers’ perception of RHE change due to living in the United States. The mothers received little to no RHE from their own mothers. Scare tactics, myths and taboos were used to deter adolescent sexual risk behaviors. Mothers provided RHE, mostly triggered by reported behaviors of their daughter’s friends. Understanding the experience of African immigrant mothers engaging in RHE will potentially help in designing more culturally appropriate RHE programs for African immigrant mothers and their daughters, to decrease adolescent sexual risk behaviors.

[发布机构] the University of Pittsburgh