Impactos da gravidez precoce na qualidade de vida de mães adolescentes do município de Cuité - PB.

Abstract

Despite the noticeable reduction in the incidence of teenage pregnancy in recent years, this event continues to be concern of government officials and health professionals not only by the numbers but also the complex implications that it brings to the lives of these young mothers. Given the fact that adolescent childbearing is a widespread concern across Brazil, it became an urgent matter to investigate the impact of teen pregnancy in the quality of life of young mothers in the municipality of Cuite, Paraiba, which is the aim of this study. METHODOLOGY: It consists of an exploratory and descriptive quantitative study conducted in three public health clinics in the city of Cuite, Paraiba, between February and March 2012. The sample consisted of 30 women who became mothers between the age of 10 and 19, selected through the criteria of accessibility and data were collected using a form of socio-economic-demographic and obstetric as well as the Questionnaire for measuring quality of life WHOQOL-BREF prepared by the World Health Organization. The results were analyzed based on descriptive and quantitative approach. RESULTS: The sample characterization shows that the majority of participants were between 21 and 25 years old, currently single, with only elementary school education, with family income of 1 minimum wage, residing with their families, had their first pregnancy between 16 and 19 years of age, had between 1 and 2 children, did not work, and left school after pregnancy. Regarding the positive aspects of quality of life, most of the participants were satisfied with their lives, were in good health, were able to perform everyday tasks, were happy with their home, said that their lives made a lot of sense, felt confident in their lives and were happy with their physical appearance. Conversely, the negative aspects of their lives were: no time for leisure, no sex life, no access to education and information, and lack of financial resources, negatively impacting on the quality of life of participants. CONCLUSION: Teenage pregnancy contributes to the occurrence of various changes and adaptations in the lives of teenagers and also impacts on their quality of life, warranting the need for specific public health measures, policies and strategies on the part of health professionals, focused on sex education and family planning, aiming to ensure higher levels of well-being and quality of life for this population.