Child Adoption Awareness Among Women With Infertility In The Greater Accra Region
Date
2021-09
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
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Publisher
University Of Ghana
Abstract
The traditional Ghanaian society is pro-natal, where marriage's ultimate purpose is to
reproduce children to continue the family lineage. Infertility is the most common reason for
married women not having children. Infertility is one of the most challenging life
experiences for women, and finding a solution can be difficult. Child adoption is an
alternative coping strategy for couples to deal with infertility. The situation awareness
model which was used as an organizing framework investigated child adoption awareness
among women with infertility in the Greater Accra Region. A descriptive exploratory design
was employed. Purposive and snowball sampling techniques were used to conduct semistructured
interviews with 14 women with infertility. Women with infertility in the
community who visited St. Moses Hospital provided data. Analyses of the data were
conducted using thematic content analysis after audio-recorded interviews were transcribed
verbatim. Six significant themes and nineteen subthemes emerged. The findings
demonstrated that childless women were aware of child adoption, but they were
unknowledgeable about where to go or the procedure involved. Discrimination, cultural
beliefs, property inheritance concerns, and procedural bottlenecks are the hurdles to child
adoption. These findings have implications for nursing practice, research, and community
sensitization. There is the need for education on child adoption as an alternative coping
strategy for infertility.
Description
MPhil. Nursing
Keywords
Child Adoption, Infertility, Greater Accra Region