Social support among women with genital fistula in Uganda

Abstract

Resulting from prolonged obstructed labour, iatrogenic and traumatic aetiologies, female genital fistula in low-resource settings causes a significant physical and psychosocial burden. Social support is an important mechanism to build resilience to health challenges. This study aimed to understand the role of emotional, informational and tangible social support for Ugandan women affected by fistula. Thirty-three participants who had had fistula surgery 6–24 months prior to the study were recruited from Mulago Hospital in Kampala, Uganda. Data from in-depth interviews (n = 16) and 4 focus group discussions were analysed thematically using a social support framework. Various individuals were key providers of social support across the different domains. They included family, friends, community organisations, and other women affected by fistula. Social support was critical in helping women cope with fistula, access fistula care, and post-repair recovery. Women relied heavily on tangible and emotional support to meet their physical and psychological needs. Support-enhancing interventions for women and their families, particularly those offering emotional and tangible support, may be a promising strategy for improving the experiences and quality of life of women affected by fistula.

Keywords:

• Female genital fistula
• social support
• recovery
• reintegration
• Uganda

Acknowledgements

We thank research participants for sharing their experiences with the research team. We also thank Madhavi Dandu, Alden Blair and Nicole Santos at the UCSF Institute for Global Health Sciences Master’s Program for their support.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

Primary data collection was funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the US National Institutes of Health (NICHD R21HD075008), the Fistula Foundation and the United States Agency for International Development via the Fistula Care Plus Project, administered by EngenderHealth. Support for continuing analytical work was funded by the US National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R00HD086232).