Intergenerational Transmission of Menstrual Shame: A Qualitative Investigation of Parental Influence on Adolescent Menstrual Health Attitudes in Urban Ghana
Abstract:
This qualitative study
examined how parents transmit menstrual health attitudes and knowledge to their
adolescent daughters in urban Ghana through focus group discussions with 15
parents representing diverse socio-economic backgrounds and educational levels.
Thematic analysis revealed four major themes: intergenerational transmission of
menstrual shame despite improved hygiene practices, persistent influence of
cultural and religious beliefs on menstrual attitudes, notable generational
shifts in comfort levels with menstrual discussions, and evolving perspectives
on male involvement in menstrual health education. Parents acknowledged
transmitting the same shame and discomfort they experienced in their own
adolescence, despite possessing better factual knowledge than previous
generations. Cultural restrictions preventing menstruating girls from cooking,
touching food, or participating in ceremonies remained firmly embedded across
socio-economic levels, while religious beliefs imposed additional constraints
on worship and spiritual activities. Parents expressed internal conflicts
between maintaining traditional practices and adapting to modern health
perspectives, using ancestral teachings to legitimize restrictive attitudes.
However, parents also recognized that their daughters' generation demonstrates
greater openness and comfort with menstrual topics compared to their own
upbringing, though many admitted their personal discomfort continues despite
intellectual acceptance of menstruation as normal. Educated urban parents
increasingly supported teaching boys about menstruation to create supportive
environments, while traditional attitudes maintaining menstruation as
exclusively female knowledge persisted particularly in less educated
populations. These findings illuminate the complex mechanisms through which
cultural beliefs persist across generations even as health knowledge improves,
highlighting the critical need for family-centered interventions addressing
both parents' and daughters' attitudes simultaneously rather than focusing on
adolescent education alone.
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