Abstract
D.Ed.
The primary theme of this study is the accompanying of the adolescent girl
after a termination of pregnancy. A termination of pregnancy is traumatic for
any woman, even more so for the adolescent girl who does not necessarily
possess the required coping mechanisms to deal with the emotional load that
a termination brings with it. Often this girl undergoes a termination in secret,
and as a result of the secrecy she does not have any support system. She
chooses to keep the termination a secret and therefore she cannot share her
fears, heartache, regret, guilt and shame. The relationship in which she was,
usually breaks up as a result of the termination, and even that support
disappears from her life. She stands alone. She has unanswered questions.
She yearns to cry and share her secret - but with whom?
After the termination her relationship with herself and with others is poor, and
therefore she isolates herself. She does not want to allow herself to have a
future, and therefore urgently needs to be guided out of her feelings of
hopelessness so that she can dream again, and see a future for herself. The
adolescent girl must be led to self-insight, self-awareness and insight into her
situation. She must be led to self-assertiveness, empowerment and eventually
mental well being. These girls are usually without direction in their lives and
caught up in a web of distorted ideas and dysfunctional relationships: her
relationship with herself and with others. Her future perspective is also
affected.
To underpin this situation, I undertook the study and developed a psychosocial
programme to support this girl after termination, to assist her to achieve
her full potential, as God would wish. The aim of this programme is thus, in
co-operation with this adolescent girl, to lead her to mental well being and a
new perspective on her future. She must be assured that there is life after a
termination of pregnancy. This is done through questioning, listening,
discussing, reformulating and reconstructing her circumstances. A person
never completes your life's story, but nothing prevents you from reformulating
your future, irrespective of what happened in your past.
The framework of the programme is compiled from the results of a literature
study of published research. This programme was implemented and
evaluated on the basis of three interpersonal conversations held with ladies
who had undergone termination of pregnancy. Certain needs were identified
by these ladies and used as guideline to develop a psycho-social programme
to support and lead girls after a termination of a pregnancy. The contribution
of this study is in the conceptual framework and programme. The programme
has been evaluated in a pilot study.