Browsing by Author "Mbonye, Martin K."

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    “If your mother does not teach you, the world will…”: A qualitative study of parent-adolescent communication on sexual and reproductive health issues in Border districts of eastern Uganda
    (Research square, 2022) Ndugga, Patricia; Kwagala, Betty; Ojiambo Wandera, Stephen; Kisaakye, Peter; Mbonye, Martin K.; Ngabirano, Fred
    Adolescents (10–19 years) in developing countries experience a host of sexual and reproductive (SRH) challenges, with detrimental SRH and socio-economic consequences. These include early sexual debut, sexually transmitted infections including HIV, unsafe abortions, teenage pregnancy, and early childbearing. Parent-adolescent communication about SRH has significant potential to reduce adolescents’ risky sexual behaviors. However, communication between parents and adolescents is limited. We assessed the facilitators and barriers to parent-adolescent communication about sexual and reproductive health in two border districts of Eastern Uganda. Methods A community-based cross-sectional qualitative study was conducted in the border districts of Busia and Tororo in Eastern Uganda. Data collection entailed 8 Focus Group Discussions comprising parents, adolescents (10–17 years) and 26 Key Informants. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and translated into English. Thematic analysis was conducted with the aid of NVIVO 12 software. Results Parent-adolescent communication about SRH was not common. Facilitators of parent-adolescent communication were: good parent-child relationship, role of the mother, education level, and exposure of the parent. Parents are, however, limited by sexual and reproductive health-related cultural norms, inadequate capacity for parents to address pertinent SRH issues, busy schedules, poor modeling by parents, and inability to meet children’s /household basic needs. Conclusion Parents’ ability to communicate with their children is hindered by cultural barriers and inadequate knowledge. There is a need to equip parents with adequate information and skills to ease communication. Additionally, parent-adolescent communication on sexual and reproductive health should be integrated into parenting interventions so as to improve SRH communication between parents and children.