Exploring the psychosocial challenges experienced by teenage student mothers in senior high schools in Asene Manso Akroso district

Abstract

This study was conducted to explore the psychosocial challenges experienced by teenage student mothers in senior high schools in Asene Manso Akroso District, Ghana. The objectives of the study were: to identify the psychosocial challenges faced by teenage student mothers in senior high schools in the Asene Manso Akroso District; indicate the effects of psychosocial challenges faced by these teenage student mothers and to identify strategies that teenage student mothers in senior high schools in Asene Manso Akroso District employ to manage their psychosocial challenges they face. The qualitative research approach was employed to understand and explore the psychosocial challenges experienced by teenage student mothers in senior high schools in Asene Manso Akroso District. A sample of twelve teenage student mothers were selected from a population of fifty-five teenage student mothers from the two senior high schools in the district. The simple random sampling method was used to select the sample. Interview guide was used for the data collection and content analysis was used to analyse the data. The study found that teenage student mothers were humiliated, ridiculed and rejected by their peers and neighbours. It was also discovered that the teenage student mothers felt lonely and isolated as most of their friends shunned them for fear of being classified in the same category with teen mothers. It was therefore, recommended that guidance and counselling units in senior high schools should liaise with school authorities to empower teenage student mothers and the Ghana Education Service must also recruit more professionally trained counsellors to the senior high schools in and across the country due to large numbers of teenage student mothers in the senior high schools.It was therefore concluded that, the teenage student mothers go through distress in the hands of their neighbours, teachers and classmates in school. They felt ridiculed and rejected. In an attempt to overcome all these, they sorted counselling and drawing solace from vicarious experiences.