Role of Siblings in Supporting Pregnant Family Adolescent Members in Zimbabwe

The aim of the study was to explore what sibling support is, why is it significant, and its role in supporting a family member who is a pregnant adolescent in order to understand the nature and significance of sibling support in adolescent pregnancy in rural Zimbabwe.The overall aim of this qualitative study was to investigate what sibling support is, why it is significant, and how it supports a family member who is a pregnant adolescent, and was specifically to understand the nature and significance of sibling support in the context of adolescent pregnancy in rural Zimbabwe. This study has identified and fills the research lacuna on the specific, qualitative empirical evidence for the role of siblings in the well-being and schooling continuum of pregnant adolescent women in the families in Zimbabwe. Informed consent, confidentiality and theming were used as a methodology to present the findings from 15 participants (6 learners; 2 counsellors; 2 teachers; 4 parents; and 1 Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education official) by use of focus group discussions and thematic analysis as a data analysis process. One of the main conclusions was that siblings could be seen as central in assisting the pregnant adolescent in multiple ways, not only providing emotional support but also doing so by taking care of the child, advocating with his/her parents and encouraging her/him to continue his/her education. The study suggests that this kind of family counselling, which includes the involvement of parents and siblings, should be incorporated into school-based maternal and child health care services to enhance the role of family support in the life of pregnant adolescents.

Keywords: adolescent pregnancy, family support, siblings, social support, Zimbabwe