Experience of parents regarding the care of their sons who developed coplications after traditional circumcision at a selected village in Sekhukhune district, Limpopo province

Abstract

Males in Sub Saharan countries believe that traditional circumcision is an acceptable qualification to proper manhood. Most of them experience different post circumcision complications such as dehydration, bleeding, amputations of the penis and even death. Hospitals are crowded with post circumcision complicated initiates from the traditional initiation schools every winter. Post traditional circumcision care, medical care and burial remains the responsibility of the parents. Mortality reports resulting from traditional circumcision practices shared through media prompted the Government of South Africa to intervene. According to media report, the complications and mortality of young boys post circumcision is attributed to incompetence of traditional leaders who perform these ritual practices. The National Department of Health is currently preparing voluntary clinical circumcision to curb the problem following the World Health Organization and UNAIDS in their initiative on voluntary medical male circumcision program. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS The study followed a qualitative, explorative, and descriptive design rooted within the social constructivist paradigm. The population for this study consisted of parents with sons who developed complications after traditional circumcision. Data was collected through in-depth individual, unstructured interviews from parents at a selected village in Sekhukhune district, Limpopo province. The data was captured by audio tape, transcribed verbatim and typed. Tesch’s method of open coding was used to analyze the transcribed interviews. Purposive sampling was used as a method to sample parents of initiates who developed circumcision complications. Twenty (20) participants were selected for interview for data collection and saturation was reached at the 20th participant. RESEARCH RESULTS The findings of this study were that participants had bad experiences, mixed feelings and good experiences. Under bad experiences, the following was identified: experience of exclusion, mental disturbances, sad and worry, panic attacks, hurting, scared, shock and emotional trauma. Mixed feelings: they felt anxious, angry, disappointment. Good experiences: importance of circumcision, acknowledgement of medical assistance. RECOMMENDATIONS Recommendation was made that government should intervene by engaging and providing in-service training to traditional men and traditional initiators on safe circumcision practices. The participants also verbalized that there is a need to extend the duration of the traditional circumcision school to allow proper healing post circumcision.