Experiences of teenage mothers on social support in Nzhelele Community of Makhado Municipality

Abstract

In South Africa, today, teenage pregnancy is on the increase, resulting in social and public health problems. The Department of Health (2002) indicates that, nationally 16.4% of the teenagers become pregnant every month. The Department also states that 26.4% of Grade 8 learners, 13.4% Grade 9 learners, 12.6% Grade 12 and 13.3% Grade 11 learners, fall pregnant every month. Many of these teenage mothers are confronted with various health problem, for example, HIV/AIDS, psychological (for example, high stress) and social problems (for example, lack of parenting skills, neglect, poverty, and low educational attainment). These problems have far-reaching consequences on the mothers. For example, many teenage mothers drop-out of school, attempt to commit suicide, as well as take part in prostitution and robbery. Many are unemployed and this puts the welfare of their children at risk. This research study was qualitative in nature. The exploratory phenomenological design was used in this study to explore the experiences or challenges of teenage mothers on social support as pregnancy interferes with all aspects of their lives. For example, it jeopardises teenage mothers’ relationships with their parents who are the main source of support for the young mothers. If this relationship is broken, it reduces the chances of the young mother’s success. These factors contribute to an inadequate parent-child interaction and diminish the infant’s development. Support during pregnancy and after birth is vital for a teenage mother. If her future and mental health are to be bright, then she needs to have strong social support. Non- probability sampling methods were used, namely purposive and snowball sampling. Pre-testing was done with four teenage mothers who had the same background as those in the main study. Data were collected from six teenage mothers through semistructured face to face interviews which required teenage mothers to answer a set of predetermined questions. The question asked allowed probing and clarification of answers. A tape recorder was used and the language used was Tshivenda. All ethical issues were adhered to throughout the study. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to analyse the collected data. The findings from the interviews were integrated to avoid repetition. From the analysed v data, the following themes emerged: Challenges experienced by teenage mothers; Support system for teenage mothers; and Coping strategies for teenage mothers. Analysis of data revealed that lack of social support for teenage mothers was a major problem and this was collaborated by literature. These findings revealed that teenage mothers experience many challenges compared to the support they get from significant others. In this study, the researcher found that doing field work with teenage mothers with low educational backgrounds is very challenging because they do not understand what research is all about. The researcher realised that there is more that South African needs to do to encourage people to support teenage mothers. Whilst the work done at Tshikuwi is appreciated, the researcher feels it is too little too late considering the number of teenage mothers who continue to lack support. The researcher recommends that teenage mothers who experience challenges should take the initiatives to start projects that will boost their confidence. Teachers who teach life science orientations should, in the meantime, focus on teaching learners about the consequences of not having support either from family or partners and communities.