Abstract:
The number of adolescents becoming pregnant is on the increase. They are physically and
psychologically immature to withstand the stress of pregnancy yet, society does not give
them the necessary support they need to go through this stressful situation. The pregnant
adolescents often end up with complications which increase maternal morbidity and
mortality in Ghana.
The purpose of this qualitative inquiry was to explore the psychosocial experiences of
pregnant adolescents in the Tema Metropolis. The study participants were made up of
twelve (12), purposively sampled pregnant adolescents attending antenatal clinic at the
Tema General Hospital. Individual semi-structured interviews were used to generate the
data which was analyzed using content analysis.
From the experiences narrated by the participants, ten main themes emerged, which were
further categorized into sub-themes. The major themes were causes of pregnancy,
conditions at home, reactions of parents towards pregnancy and reactions of partners
towards pregnancy. Others included reactions of friends towards pregnancy, attitude of
neighbours, economic challenges, reactions of adolescents towards pregnancy, disorders in
pregnancy and attitudes of midwives.
The findings indicated that pregnant adolescents faced psychological problems such as
anxiety, sadness, rejection, thoughts of abortion and suicidal tendencies. Reactions from
their parents, partners, peers and neighbours included beatings, anger, denial and
gossiping. Some mothers were however supportive. The findings showed that pregnant
adolescents were faced with an array of psychosocial problems which could hamper their
overall development and wellbeing. It was recommended that the hospital management
should identify a day and time to attend to only pregnant adolescents. Also, future research
should focus on the coping strategies and quality of life of adolescents after delivery.
