Challenges associated with teenage motherhood in Ghana: a qualitative study

Henrieta Tagoe Dzotsi, Kwaku Oppong Asante, Joseph Osafo

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

14 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Motherhood can be very challenging and overwhelming whether the individuals involved are teens or adults. Although there is a high prevalence of teenage mothers in urban cities in Ghana, little research has been done on the challenges associated with teen motherhood. This qualitative study was therefore conducted to explore the challenges that teenage mothers experience in Ghana. One-on-one interviews were conducted with 28 purposively selected teenage mothers between the ages of 15 and 19. Through thematic analysis, findings showed that challenges associated with teenage motherhood were strained interpersonal relationships, survival difficulties, educational disruption and steep transition to adulthood. These findings call for supportive programmes and interventions that would help address the contextual challenges of teenage mothers and also step up efforts to decrease the prevalence of teenage pregnancy in Ghana.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)85-96
Number of pages12
JournalVulnerable Children and Youth Studies
Volume15
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2 Jan 2020

Keywords

  • Ghana
  • Teenage motherhood
  • challenges
  • qualitative

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