First Nations perspectives about youth pregnancy and parenthood in Western Sydney, Australia: A qualitative study

Purpose

Significant improvements have been made in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ (First Nations) maternal and perinatal outcomes over the past decade, such as decreasing rates of smoking and preterm birth and increasing birthweights. In Australia, higher rates of adolescent pregnancy are reported among First Nations compared with non-First Nations people. Having a baby during adolescence (youth pregnancy) increases the risk of poorer maternal and perinatal outcomes, including social outcomes such as poverty and educational attainment. This study examined First Nations peoples’ perspectives about youth pregnancy and parenthood in Western Sydney, Australia.

Methods

Sixty-eight First Nations people aged ≥16 years living in Western Sydney, Australia were interviewed in 2019–20. Interview data were analysed using thematic analysis.

Main findings

Approximately half of the participants were aged ≥18 years. Most participants lived with family and around half were high school students. Four themes relating to youth pregnancy and parenthood were identified: 1) youth pregnancy was normalised (e.g. ‘There’s always some young person in [the] community pregnant, if not several… it’s celebrated as well. It’s not so much of a negative thing’); 2) a desire to avoid youth pregnancy (e.g. ‘I think young people try and avoid pregnancy because they don’t wanna be a teen mum’); 3) gendered experiences of youth pregnancy and parenthood (e.g. ‘I don’t think a teenage boy would have like time like for a baby’); and 4) perspectives of caring responsibilities within families (e.g. ‘I feel like within Aboriginal communities, it’s always seen as the oldest kid has to kind of help out the parent’).

Principal conclusions

Although youth parenthood was acceptable in communities, most participants wanted young people to avoid pregnancy and parenthood. There was a clear community approach to raising children, especially from the oldest children helping out with child raising.