Adolescent experiences of mistreatment during childbirth, by country
| Ghana, N=208 | Guinea, N=359 | Nigeria, N=89 | Myanmar, N=206 | Total, N=862 | ||||||
| 15–19 years (n=60) | 20–24 years (n=148) | 15–19 years (n=173) | 20–24 years (n=186) | 15–19 years (n=15) | 20–24 years (n=74) | 15–19 years (n=39) | 20–24 years (n=167) | 15–19 years (n=287) | 20–24 years (n=575) | |
| Any physical abuse, verbal abuse, or stigma and discrimination | 29 (48.3%) | 66 (44.6%) | 82 (47.4%) | 73 (39.2%) | 9 (60%) | 31 (41.9%) | 7 (17.9%) | 40 (24%) | 127 (44.3%) | 210 (36.5%) |
| Physical abuse | 8 (13.3%) | 12 (8.1%) | 46 (26.6%) | 33 (17.7%) | 5 (33.3%) | 12 (16.2%) | 1 (2.6%) | 9 (5.4%) | 60 (20.9%)* | 66 (11.4%)* |
| Verbal abuse | 25 (41.7%) | 61 (41.2%) | 64 (37.0%) | 58 (31.2%) | 8 (53.3%) | 29 (39.2%) | 7 (17.9%) | 33 (19.8%) | 104 (36.2%) | 181 (31.5%) |
| Stigma or discrimination | 10 (16.7%) | 7 (4.7%) | 3 (1.7%) | 5 (2.7%) | 3 (20.0%) | 5 (6.8%) | 1 (2.6%) | 3 (1.8%) | 17 (5.9%) | 20 (3.5%) |
| Informed consent | ||||||||||
| No of caesarean section | 8 (13.3%) | 16 (10.8%) | 19 (11%) | 24 (12.9%) | 0 (0%) | 6 (8.1%) | 10 (25.6%) | 48 (28.7%) | 37 (12.9%) | 94 (16.3%) |
| Non-consented caesarean section | 1 (12.5%) | 3 (18.8%) | 1 (5.3%) | 2 (8.3%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (10%) | 4 (8.3%) | 3 (8.1%) | 9 (9.6%) |
| No of vaginal births | 52 (86.7%) | 132 (89.2%) | 153 (88.4%) | 162 (87.1%) | 15 (100%) | 68 (91.9%) | 29 (74.4%) | 119 (71.3%) | 250 (87.1%) | 480 (83.5%) |
| No of episiotomies† | 14 (26.9%) | 26 (19.7%) | 28 (18.3%) | 16 (9.9%) | 5 (31.3%) | 38 (56.7%) | 9 (31.0%) | 48 (40.3%) | 56 (22.4%) | 128 (26.7%) |
| Non-consented episiotomy | 3 (21.4%) | 10 (38.5%) | 9 (32.1%) | 7 (43.8%) | 1 (20.0%) | 9 (23.7%) | 7 (77.8%) | 21 (43.8%) | 20 (35.7%) | 47 (36.7%) |
| Vaginal examination (VE) | ||||||||||
| No of VEs (among n=802 women with VE) | 57 (95%) | 144 (97.3%) | 161 (93.1%) | 176 (94.6%) | 14 (93.3%) | 71 (95.7%) | 36 (92.3%) | 143 (85.6%) | 268 (93.4%) | 534 (92.9%) |
| Non-consented VEs | 14 (24.6%) | 34 (23.6%) | 54 (33.5%) | 50 (28.4%) | 9 (64.2%) | 26 (36.6%) | 9 (25%) | 45 (31.4%) | 86 (32.1%) | 155 (29.0%) |
| Poor communication | ||||||||||
| Health worker or staff did not listen or respond to her concerns | 30 (50%) | 44 (29.7%) | 39 (22.5%) | 39 (21%) | 4 (26.7%) | 12 (16.2%) | 19 (48.7%) | 76 (45.5%) | 92 (32.1%) | 171 (29.7%) |
| Abandonment/neglect | ||||||||||
| Staff member not present when baby came out† | 2 (3.8%) | 3 (2.3%) | 1 (0.7%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (6.3%) | 2 (3%) | 1 (3.4%) | 1 (0.8%) | 5 (1.7%) | 6 (1.3%) |
| Woman waited for long period before attendance by health worker | 9 (15%) | 23 (15.5%) | 16 (9.2%) | 15 (8.1%) | 2 (13.3%) | 7 (9.5%) | 5 (12.8%) | 36 (21.6%) | 32 (11.1%) | 81 (14.1%) |
| Woman felt ignored, neglected or presence was a nuisance | 10 (16.7%) | 19 (12.8%) | 14 (8.1%) | 17 (9.1%) | 1 (6.7%) | 5 (6.8%) | 4 (10.3%) | 24 (14.4%) | 29 (10.1%) | 65 (11.3%) |
| Pain relief | ||||||||||
| Woman requested pain relief but did not receive | 9 (15%) | 17 (11.5%) | 64 (37.0%) | 75 (40.3%) | 1 (6.7%) | 7 (9.5%) | 12 (30.8%) | 41 (24.6%) | 86 (30.0%) | 140 (24.3%) |
| Supportive care | ||||||||||
| Not allowed to have a companion during labour and birth | 20 (33.3%) | 46 (31.1%) | 92 (53.2%) | 94 (50.5%) | 9 (60.0%) | 55 (74.3%) | 1 (2.6%) | 0 (0%) | 122 (42.5%)* | 195 (33.9%)* |
| Did not have a companion present at any point | 37 (61.7%) | 86 (58.1%) | 22 (12.7%) | 22 (11.8%) | 9 (60.0%) | 45 (60.8%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (0.6%) | 68 (23.7%) | 154 (26.8%) |
| Autonomy | ||||||||||
| No access to oral fluids† | 4 (7.7%) | 19 (14.4%) | 13 (8.5%) | 28 (17.3%) | 5 (31.3%) | 30 (44.8%) | 5 (17.2%) | 14 (11.8%) | 27 (10.8%)* | 91 (19%)* |
| Women not told to eat† | 23 (44.2%) | 55 (41.7%) | 18 (11.8%) | 26 (16%) | 11 (68.8%) | 43 (64.2%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 52 (20.8%)* | 124 (25.8%)* |
| Woman not told to and did not mobilise† | 46 (54.1%) | 110 (74.3%) | 8 (4.6%) | 17 (7%) | 15 (93.3%) | 63 (79.7%) | 16 (48.7%) | 63 (37.1%) | 85 (28.6%)* | 253 (42.4%)* |
| Woman not asked preferred birth position† | 59 (98.3%) | 145 (98%) | 148 (85.5%) | 147 (79.0%) | 15 (100%) | 73 (98.6%) | 33 (84.6%) | 142 (85.0%) | 255 (88.9%) | 507 (88.2%) |
| Woman/baby detained for not being able to pay hospital bill | 10 (16.7%) | 4 (2.7%) | 11 (6.4%) | 19 (10.2%) | 1 (6.7%) | 6 (8.1%) | 4 (10.3%) | 8 (4.8%) | 26 (9.1%) | 37 (6.4%) |
| Health systems | ||||||||||
| Woman instructed to clean up own blood, urine, feces or amniotic fluid after birth | 0 (0%) | 3 (2%) | 1 (0.6%) | 3 (1.6%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (1.4%) | 5 (12.8%) | 28 (16.8%) | 6 (2.1%)* | 35 (6.1%)* |
| Staff asked woman or companion for bribe or gift | 7 (11.7%) | 19 (12.8%) | 84 (48.6%) | 100 (53.7%) | 4 (26.7%) | 9 (12.2%) | 18 (46.2%) | 74 (44.3%) | 113 (39.4%)* | 202 (35.1%)* |
| Curtains or other privacy measures not available | 58 (96.7%) | 137 (92.6%) | 88 (50.9%) | 107 (78.7%) | 13 (86.7%) | 61 (82.4%) | 21 (53.8%) | 90 (53.9%) | 180 (62.7%) | 395 (68.7%) |
*χ2 test showed differences in the age groups, p<0.05.
†Among n=730 women with vaginal birth.