| dc.description.abstract | Global healthcare trends demonstrate a rise in mental health disorders. Notably,
mental health disorders have a considerable negative impact on academic
performance, work, close relationships, the global economy, and one’s ability to
make positive contributions to the community. Worth noting is that teenage
pregnancy shows a positive correlation to mental disorders, most of which are
aggravated by the teenagers’ immediate environments hence the need for in-depth
understanding of the specific factors associated with common mental disorders
(CMDs) among this cohort. This cross-sectional descriptive study sought to
establish association between individual factors, sociocultural factors, healthcare
services and common mental disorders among pregnant and parenting teenagers.
The ecological system theory guided the study. The study employed a mixed
method approach under the descriptive study design and was conducted in
Korogocho slums, Nairobi County. The Cochran formula was used to obtain the
sample size of 185 from a target population of 357 pregnant and parenting
teenagers recorded in antenatal, or post-natal registers in health facilities in
Korogocho slums. Proportionate stratified random sampling was adopted. The
researcher used the health facilities as the strata and subdivided the sample
population of 185 proportionately relative to the number of registered pregnant and
parenting teenagers in each facility. The participants in each stratum were then
purposively selected from the registers, contacted, and followed up in their
households. A structured interviewer administered questionnaire was used to
collect sociodemographic data and a Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20) by
WHO was used to collect data on the prevalence of CMDs among the study cohort.
Three focused group discussions were held with Key Informants using an
interview guide. The research tools were piloted to ensure validity and reliability.
Data collected was analyzed using SPSS version 25 and presented using frequency
tables. Interdependence chi square test and fisher’s test were used to examine the
association between common mental disorders with p value of <0.005 considered
statistically significant. A total of 153 out of 187 (82.7%) participated in the study.
The study findings indicated that n=84 (55%) of the respondents had symptoms of
CMDs. Moreso, n=49 (32%) of the respondents reported alcohol use, n=40 (26%)
bhang use and n=41 (27%) Miraa use. Additionally, study findings showed no
significant association between CMDs and Age, or level of education. However,
there was significant association between CMDs and income status, gender-based
violence, and social support among the study cohort. Notably, the study findings
revealed significant association between affordable and adolescent friendly
services and CMDs. However, there was no significant association of CMDs with
availability of mental health services. In conclusion, mental health disorders are
relatively high among pregnant and parenting teenagers in Korogocho slums.
Sociocultural and healthcare factors significantly affect the mental wellness of the
pregnant and parenting teenagers. The respondents who manifested symptoms of
CMDs were advised to seek further healthcare services in facilities of preference.
The study recommends integration of responsive mental health services in
antenatal care, awareness creation campaigns on mental wellness, community based support groups and income generating programmes targeting pregnant and
parenting teenagers. | en_US |
