A Pilot Study of Family Planning Perspectives and Practices among Syrian Child Brides in Lebanon

Abstract

Child marriage is associated with adolescent pregnancy, which increases maternal and child health risks and rates of child marriage have increased among families affected by the Syrian conflict. Although contraception reduces these risks, data about contraception practices among Syrian child brides is sparse. This cross-sectional, descriptive pilot study examined contraceptive knowledge, attitudes, barriers, needs and practices among young Syrian brides. A convenience sample of female Syrian refugees aged 13-25 who had married before the age of 18 was recruited through a civil society organization in Lebanon. Among the 32 participants, there were significant knowledge gaps and negative attitudes towards contraception, with approximately one-fifth of participants (18.8%) unaware of contraceptive methods and 84.4% unaware of emergency contraception. Negative attitudes towards contraception were common, including beliefs that it was physically harmful (47.0%), contradicted religious views (43.8%), and lacked support by husbands (50%). The majority of participants (53.1%) had never used contraception with the most common reason being fear of side effects (47%). Approximately one-third (30%) of participants with two or more children reported sub-optimal birth spacing of less than a year and almost one-quarter of participants (24.1%) reported a history of terminating a pregnancy. Notably, one-fifth of participants (20.8%) had an unmet need for contraception, and unwanted pregnancies were common among women who were currently (42.9%) or previously (48.1%) pregnant. Results from this small convenience sample of Syrian child brides in Lebanon identify an urgent need to further explore contraception use among this population and to inform interventions for increased contraception usage to decrease adolescent pregnancies and improve maternal and child health.