CULTURE OF SECRECY AND STIGMA IN A NOLLYWOOD FILM: A MIXED- METHODS STUDY OF ABORTION NARRATIVES AND FEMALE UNDERGRADUATES' PERCEPTIONS IN NIGERIA
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2026
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| author | ONAYINKA, Toyin Segun, RUFAI, Mustapha Olalekan, OLUWASOLA, Omolola, ONIPEDE Grace Oluwakemi, IGNATIUS, Chinyere Mercy & MUHAMMED, Ohunene Fatimat |
| author_facet | ONAYINKA, Toyin Segun, RUFAI, Mustapha Olalekan, OLUWASOLA, Omolola, ONIPEDE Grace Oluwakemi, IGNATIUS, Chinyere Mercy & MUHAMMED, Ohunene Fatimat |
| contents | <p>Unintended pregnancy and unsafe abortion remain pressing public health concerns in Nigeria, yet limited scholarship<br>has examined how Nollywood films construct social meaning around these issues. This study investigates how the<br>film Abortion represents secrecy, stigma, and reproductive decision-making, and how female undergraduates interpret</p> <p>these representations. Grounded in health communication and feminist media theory, the research adopts a mixed-<br>method single-case design that integrates thematic content analysis of the film with survey data from 376 female</p> <p>students at the Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Nigeria. The analysis shows that the film constructs unintended<br>pregnancy within a moral framework shaped by economic vulnerability, sexual exploitation, secrecy, and symbolic<br>punishment. The protagonist’s trajectory links reproductive choice to social condemnation, isolation, and severe<br>medical consequences, reinforcing patriarchal regulation of female sexuality. Survey findings indicate strong<br>perceived alignment between the film’s portrayal and prevailing societal norms. Respondents report that fear of<br>stigma, family judgment, and social rejection influence concealment decisions, while many also report reconsideration<br>of reproductive health choices after viewing the film, reflecting observational learning and vicarious reinforcement<br>processes. The study argues that the film simultaneously reproduces dominant stigma norms and stimulates reflective<br>engagement among viewers. Rather than generalising to Nollywood broadly, the paper offers analytic generalisation<br>to theoretical constructs linking media representation, stigma internalisation, and behavioural intention. The findings<br>contribute to mediated reproductive health scholarship by clarifying how cinematic narratives participate in both the<br>reinforcement and potential re-evaluation of secrecy within Nigerian socio-cultural contexts.<br><br></p> |
| format | Recurso digital |
| id | zenodo_https___doi_org_10_5281_zenodo_19909516 |
| institution | Zenodo |
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| publishDate | 2026 |
| publisher | Zenodo |
| record_format | zenodo |
| spellingShingle | CULTURE OF SECRECY AND STIGMA IN A NOLLYWOOD FILM: A MIXED- METHODS STUDY OF ABORTION NARRATIVES AND FEMALE UNDERGRADUATES' PERCEPTIONS IN NIGERIA ONAYINKA, Toyin Segun, RUFAI, Mustapha Olalekan, OLUWASOLA, Omolola, ONIPEDE Grace Oluwakemi, IGNATIUS, Chinyere Mercy & MUHAMMED, Ohunene Fatimat Culture of secrecy, Unsafe Abortion, Unintended Pregnancy <p>Unintended pregnancy and unsafe abortion remain pressing public health concerns in Nigeria, yet limited scholarship<br>has examined how Nollywood films construct social meaning around these issues. This study investigates how the<br>film Abortion represents secrecy, stigma, and reproductive decision-making, and how female undergraduates interpret</p> <p>these representations. Grounded in health communication and feminist media theory, the research adopts a mixed-<br>method single-case design that integrates thematic content analysis of the film with survey data from 376 female</p> <p>students at the Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Nigeria. The analysis shows that the film constructs unintended<br>pregnancy within a moral framework shaped by economic vulnerability, sexual exploitation, secrecy, and symbolic<br>punishment. The protagonist’s trajectory links reproductive choice to social condemnation, isolation, and severe<br>medical consequences, reinforcing patriarchal regulation of female sexuality. Survey findings indicate strong<br>perceived alignment between the film’s portrayal and prevailing societal norms. Respondents report that fear of<br>stigma, family judgment, and social rejection influence concealment decisions, while many also report reconsideration<br>of reproductive health choices after viewing the film, reflecting observational learning and vicarious reinforcement<br>processes. The study argues that the film simultaneously reproduces dominant stigma norms and stimulates reflective<br>engagement among viewers. Rather than generalising to Nollywood broadly, the paper offers analytic generalisation<br>to theoretical constructs linking media representation, stigma internalisation, and behavioural intention. The findings<br>contribute to mediated reproductive health scholarship by clarifying how cinematic narratives participate in both the<br>reinforcement and potential re-evaluation of secrecy within Nigerian socio-cultural contexts.<br><br></p> |
| title | CULTURE OF SECRECY AND STIGMA IN A NOLLYWOOD FILM: A MIXED- METHODS STUDY OF ABORTION NARRATIVES AND FEMALE UNDERGRADUATES' PERCEPTIONS IN NIGERIA |
| topic | Culture of secrecy, Unsafe Abortion, Unintended Pregnancy |
| url | https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19909516 |