A Study of the Causes and Effects of Adolescent Pregnancy in Secondary School
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A Study of the Causes and Effects of Adolescent Pregnancy in Secondary School
Abstract
This study investigates the causes and consequences of adolescent pregnancy in secondary schools. The research population consists of 200 staff members from a secondary school selected in Oredo local government, Edo state.
The researcher utilised questionnaires as the data collection instrument. Using a descriptive survey research design, this study was conducted. The study utilised 133 principals, vice principals, administration, senior staff, and subordinate staff as respondents.
The collected data were tabulated and analysed using straightforward percentages and frequencies.
Chapter one
Introduction
1.1Background of the study
The research investigates the causes and consequences of adolescent pregnancy in order to develop effective solutions. Teenage pregnancy cannot be discussed further without a concise explanation of what it entails.
Teenage pregnancy is defined as when a girl between the ages of 13 and 19 becomes pregnant as a consequence of unprotected sexual activity. It can also be viewed as the pregnancy of a young woman aged 13 to 19 who is typically unmarried.
Each year, tens of thousands of adolescents become pregnant, posing a significant threat to themselves, their offspring, and society. While the facts are plain, our contradictory attitudes and behaviours complicate the problem of teen pregnancy.
Unavoidably, adolescents from disadvantaged backgrounds bear a disproportionate share of the costs associated with premature childbearing. Attempting to separate the causes of adolescent pregnancy from its effects raises the question, “which came first, the chicken or the egg?”
Public education, general provisions, and definitions, Florida Statutes. 1995, Florida State Board of Education, Tallahassee. According to conventional wisdom, educational failure is a consequence of adolescent pregnancy and premature birth.
But how can adolescents avoid pregnancy when sex dominates the airwaves, younger and younger girls are portrayed as sex objects, and sex is used to promote everything from clothing to the news? However, we are horrified by the increasing number of sexually active adolescents.
If we are truly concerned about the welfare of infants, children, and adolescents, we must move beyond the moral panic and denial that so often distort the discussion in order to design an effective solution to these economic assumptions, wishful thinking, and an honest admission that the causes of this problem are still not fully understood.
Among the causes of adolescent pregnancy are the following:
In some cultures, a young woman’s pregnancy is considered a favour and a sign of her fertility.
As an example of adolescent sexual behavior, 29% of adolescents reported feeling pressured to have sex, while 33% of adolescents did not want to engage in sexual activity.
Teenage pregnancy is also caused by a lack of knowledge or access to contraceptives, as well as the fear and humiliation of seeking information about contraceptives.
Studies indicate that between 11 and 20% of adolescent pregnancies are the direct result of rape, while 60% of adolescent mothers had unwanted sexual experiences prior to becoming pregnant.
5 Before the age of 15, the majority of first sexual encounters among females are reported to be non-voluntary, and 25 percent of women who did not give birth as adolescents have been sexually abused.
Other causes include age differences in relationships, dating, violence, socioeconomic factors, poverty, childhood environment, avarice, and peer pressure, among others.
Due to its observed negative effects and cause on perinatal outcomes and long-term morbidity, adolescent pregnancy has emerged as a public health concern.
The association of early maternal age is typically confounded, however, by the high prevalence of poverty, low level of education, and single marital status among adolescent mothers. This study examines the independent relationship between adolescent pregnancy and educational disabilities and problems among the total number of children and adolescents who are mothers. According to Angola, G., “Dilemma of the African Child,” the spokes man newspaper and printing cooperation, 1973, adolescence is a crucial period of development for females, spanning from the pre-pubertal stage to early adulthood. Girls (adolescents) are inquisitive and eager to learn the proper attitude (s). (Margaret, O. Childhood and adolescent studies for effective teaching, revised edition, 1999). Some countries have a worldwide adolescent pregnancy rate of 143 per 1000, as stated. In developed countries, teen pregnancy typically occurs outside of marriage and entails a social stigma in many communities and cultures; as a result, numerous studies have been conducted to identify the causes and reduce the number of adolescents who become pregnant.
In Nigeria, data supporting adolescent pregnancy as a social issue include low levels of education, higher poverty rates, and other negative life outcomes. In some regions of this country, adolescent pregnancies typically occur within marriage and are not stigmatised by peers.
Being a young mother in a developing nation like ours can have a negative impact on one’s education. Prior to pregnancy, teen mothers are more likely to drop out of school. Marriage and education determine the likelihood that a mother will have closely distributed births.
The likelihood decreases with the level of education of the young woman or her parents and increases if she marries. Recent studies indicate that the majority of adolescent mothers had already fallen out of school prior to becoming pregnant, which contributes to the likelihood of adolescent pregnancy.
In conclusion, knowledge is power; therefore, let us salvage our future by being prudent and pursuing success through education.
STATEMENT OF PROBLEMS
As a result of societal changes, adolescents who were once considered to be innocent now engage in sexual activities on par with adults. Unfortunately, the result is now her problem, her parents’ problem, society’s problem, and even her unborn child’s problem. The problems with this research are:
Does adolescent pregnancy lead to school abandonment and constitute a socioeconomic threat?
Are adolescents still hesitant and fearful to seek information about contraceptives?
– Do adolescent mothers still perceive the need for further education?
– Are parents and guidance unable to inspire and counsel their adolescents?
PURPOSE OF THEN STUDY
Based on the context of this study and the problem stated above, the following objectives have been established for this research.
Make provision for the enhancement of female educational attainment in society.
— To encourage adolescent mothers to continue their education.
– Make employment opportunities for females attitude active.
RESEARCH HYPOTHESES
The researcher formulated the following research hypotheses for the successful completion of the study:
There is no improvement in the educational attainment of women in society, so the hypothesis is false.
H1: the educational attainment of women in the society is increasing.
Teenage mothers are not encouraged to pursue an education after giving birth, according to H02.
H2: adolescent mothers are encouraged to continue their education after giving birth.
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY
This study will aid in educating the following individuals/groups on the effects of early pregnancy, educational attainment, and the significant negative emotional and social consequences of sexual activities leading to adolescent pregnancy.
Future mothers who want to appreciate their family as a result of this study should abstain from sexual activity so as not to jeopardise their future.
The parents of these adolescents would benefit from preventing their peers from expressing guilt or ridicule.
– The society is also in a position to benefit due to the fact that it would be comprised of required, planned children and population reduction.
– School administrators would have more pupils to educate with greater zeal and diligence.
– Adolescents would avoid unintended pregnancy, STDs, and humiliation, and safeguard their future.
Future generations and expectant children would be born into a planned, organized, and well-prepared environment.
SCOPE AND BOUNDS OF THE STUDY
The scope of the study includes an investigation into the causes and effects of secondary school adolescent pregnancy.
The researcher encounters a constraint that restricts the study’s scope;
a) AVAILABILITY OF RESEARCH MATERIAL: The researcher has insufficient research material, thereby limiting the scope of the study.
b) TIME: The time allotted for the study does not allow for a broader scope because the researcher must combine it with other academic activities and examinations.
DEFINITION OF TERMS
The definitions of specific terms used in the context of this research are provided below.
Teens: A person’s age between 13 and 19
Peers are individuals who are comparable in rank, age, prestige, or merit.
Fertility is the state or quality of being fertile and able to produce offspring.
Pregnancy: The condition or duration of being pregnant (having baby developing in the womb).
The insertion of a man’s manhood into a woman’s vagina during sexual activity.
Sexual assault is the inappropriate use of sex by a stronger person against a weaker person.
Consequences: The results or effects of another factor.
Natural and artificial methods of contraception to prevent pregnancy.