Reflecting on the richness of lived experiences and the audacity of youth| Sara Phillips | 2

Sara Phillips, MPH Candidate 45 Social and Behavioral Sciences

January 19, 2021

University of Jordan – Amman, Jordan (remote)

Welcome to the second post detailing my journey and progress on my project looking into the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs and rights of Jordanian and Syrian youth, from their lived experiences. The past week has been marked by a deeper dive into interview transcripts of Jordanian and Syrian adolescents (15-19 years) across four different regions, both rural and urban, in Jordan. As I have the honor of reading through these personal stories, I am moved by the raw honesty, courageousness, and potential of each of our participants. Sociocultural and political constraints in Jordan impact the access to SRH information for youth, yet what I continuously seen in our interviews is that youth are advocates for meaningful change. The voices of our youth participants paint a vivid portrait of how they see the world through their eyes and how they envision a better future. As a researcher, my interests lie in documenting health disparities, with a focus on reproductive health, and utilizing this research to design public health interventions. This week, I reflected on the importance of qualitative data, that is, personal narratives, to inform any type of health policies or programming.

Image from a Policy Brief developed by our project in 2020. This photo shows some of the youth who graciously gave their time to contribute to out research.

Image credit: https://cdn1.sph.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/112/2020/03/Final-Providers-Policy-Brief-v3-Mar-2020.pdf

A portion of our research project looks are relationships between parents and youth in discussions around SRH. This photo was taken from a policy brief advocating for open communication between parents/guardians and children on SRH concerns.

photo credit: https://cdn1.sph.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/112/2020/03/Final-Parents-Brief-v3-Mar-2020.pdf

Working through the qualitative interviews, I have struggled to attempt to get in the minds of our youth participants. Having been an adolescent many years ago (yikes) and having grown up in a very different type of society adds to the complexity and intrigue into my project. In this new world of COVID-19, instead of being in Amman, Jordan, I am doing my work on Kauai in Hawaii (my hometown). Despite not being able to be immersed in the community with our research team in Jordan, I find it compelling to be working from the community where I spent my formative years as a youth. As I read through the interviews and try to piece together an understanding of the state of SRH among our participants, I am surrounded by reminders of my youth that help me to reflect on my own experiences with SRH while growing up. While working on my research, I sometimes look through images of Jordan (thanks, Google), which helps too.

Image of Amman, Jordan

I am close to finished working through each participant interview and completing a thematic analysis of the data. I have started to identify significant themes, compiling a list that I hope characterizes the challenges and successes of SRH in Jordan. What I love most about qualitative research is the power of capturing common stories that transcend bounds of geography, ethnicity, socioeconomic position etc. It is a reminder that as we go about our lives and face out individual struggles, without our knowledge, many others could be feeling what we are feeling or going through similar issues of their own.

The beginning to this calendar year has been difficult for many across the globe. Not being able to be on location in Jordan seems like a small inconvenience in the context of the number of lives lost to COVID. Specifically in the US, I have sat with the shock and fallout of the siege of the capitol building last week. As we transition into a new presidential administration, I cannot help but think about the ways in which public health continues to be a central focus, touching all aspects of our lives. Through my current research, I hope to contribute to building a more robust infrastructure for public health in Jordan, and here in the US, with the knowledge I am privileged to gain through my project. Until next time!