Adolescent mother experience and her family - DOI: 10.4025/actascihealthsci.v26i1.1701

Abstract

This study is about health care practices within the maternal infantile risk group, with focus on the family and on the child of an adolescent mother from the newborn phase until the lactation one. Aiming at health promotion and education targeted to this group, the objective of the study was to learn the experiences of both, the adolescent mother and her family. This is a qualitative study of the descriptive type. 12 adolescent mothers of needy communities from Porto Alegre and Sào Leopoldo, RS, Brazil, were investigated. The data were collected by semistructured interviews. The technique applied was the Content Analysis proposed by Minayo (1993). Results showed three categories: conflict in the family upon the child’s birth; changes in the family life and the family's participation in the childcare. At the end of the study, we learned that adolescent mothers look for their family support to help them with the initial health care procedures. This is because they are afraid of performing them, by transferring them to other family members or to close persons. Besides, the arrival of a baby alters not only the family dynamics but also the ways of facing the situation, which interferes in the life projects of the young parents.