Mothers' Perception Concerning their Adolescent Daughters' Seeking for Gynecological Health Services

Abstract

Adolescence is a critical life phase in which individuals must have the opportunity to develop the capabilities required for realizing their full potential and achieving a healthy and fulfilling life. The World Health Organization identifies adolescence as the period of human growth and development that occurs after childhood and before adulthood, from 10 to 19 years of age. The period of adolescence for a girl is a period of physical and psychological preparation for safe motherhood (Ki-Moon, 2016). Furthermore, adolescents' gynecological health problems compromise dysmenorrhea, genitalia infection, sexual transmitted infections (STIs), and unplanned pregnancy. Adolescents' gynecological health problems become an important component and there is a felt need for increasing awareness and thus empowering the adolescent mothers for a healthy life of their adolescent daughters (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). Mothers perception is one of the important aspects for seeking gynecological health services which refers to any actions that aims to seek information in various ways as well as from different reliable sources. Thus, reliable information on gynecological health is needed as part of cognitive element in promoting healthy behavior among adolescent daughters. While mothers should play a significant role in providing education, and seeking their adolescent daughters for gynecological health services for treatment and prevention (Awaluddin et al., 2015). The study aimed to assess the mothers' perception concerning their adolescent daughters' seeking for gynecological health services. This was achieved through: 1- Assessd mothers' knowledge concerning their adolescent daughters' seeking for gynecological health problems. 2- Evaluated mothers' atittude concerning their adolescent daughters' seeking for gynecological health services. Explorative study design was used. The study conducted at outpatient clinics in EL Menofieya University hospitals. The convenient sample used, the sample was 385 mothers of adolescent girls that represents 15% of total adolescent girls attended the previous mentioned setting. Two tools of data collection was used; first was structured interviewing questionnaire: That developed by the researcher to assess general characteristics of the stu