Health and well-being of young mothers displaced by conflict: Experiences from South Sudan and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq

• Published in: Social science & medicine (1982) 2024-05, Vol.348, p.116710-116710, Article 116710
• Main Authors: Howe, Kimberly, Stites, Elizabeth, Bassett, Lucy, Ewart, Maya, Hammada, Khalat Ahmed, Sulaiman, Shilan, Lony, Nyachar, Maguek, Tabitha Nyalel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Conflict and displacement; Early motherhood; Health and well-being; Kurdistan Region of Iraq; South Sudan
• ISSN: 0277-9536; 1873-5347
• DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.116710

Giving birth during adolescence is linked to a variety of negative outcomes, including poor health and well-being. Girls who have been displaced by conflict are at increased risk for becoming young mothers. While prevalence rates and health outcomes have been documented, rarely have the complex personal narratives of early motherhood been examined from the perspectives of mothers themselves, particularly in the Global South. This study relies on in-depth, inductive, narrative analysis of qualitative interviews with 67 young mothers and 10 relatives in South Sudan and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) who had been displaced by conflict. This study provides deep insights into the contributing circumstances and consequences of young motherhood from sexual and reproductive health and well-being perspectives, with additional insights on mothering in humanitarian crisis. •Early motherhood has both positive and negative impacts on well-being.•Young mothers in displacement who are widowed or divorced are particularly vulnerable.•Displacement impacts young mother's health and well-being.•Early pregnancy in South Sudan is related to no knowledge of/access to contraception.•Early marriage by force or choice drives early pregnancy in Iraq's Kurdistan Region.