Identified needs of peripartum adolescents in Sub-Saharan Africa from 2013-2021: A mapping of domains for strengthening psychosocial interventions

Manasi Kumar, Aga Khan University
Wendy Chu, Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, USA
Resham Gellatly, Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
Grace Nduku Wambua, Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Clinical Psychology, Vrije Universiteit, Netherlands
Kimberly D. Becker,, Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, USA
Bruce F. Chorpita, Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, USA

This work was published before the author joined Aga Khan University.

Abstract

Abstract: Adolescent pregnancy and early motherhood pose significant socioeconomic and health risks in Sub-Saharan Africa, leading to considerable morbidity and mortality. To learn more about the needs of this population, we reviewed 24 articles featuring 21 samples covering 12,490 adolescents from 14 countries. Our coding revealed that adolescent mothers were studied more (85.7% of samples) than pregnant adolescents (61.9%). We summarized needs as per six categories. Resource needs were most prevalent, reported by 100% of samples, followed by ecology (85.7%), mental health (76.2%), medical (61.9%), other (61.9%), and education (33.3%). The most frequently reported resource needs were low income and unemployment. Low social support, low family functioning, and exposure to negative cultural norms were ecological needs prevalent in most samples. Among mental health concerns, depression was the most commonly reported problem, whereas other problems, such as anxiety, substance use, and suicidality, were reported much less frequently. HIV-positive status was the most frequently reported medical concern. Intervention developers should consider the range of challenges when designing psychosocial services for this population.