CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

Adolescent pregnancy is a global phenomenon with well-known causes and serious health, social and economic consequences for individuals, families and communities (World Health Organization [WHO], 2024). In low- and middle-income countries, an estimated 21 million girls aged 15 to 19 years become pregnant each year. About half of these pregnancies are unintended, and an estimated 12 million end in birth (WHO, 2024). Among unintended pregnancies in this age group, about 55% end in abortion, which is often unsafe in low- and middle-income countries (WHO, 2024). Sub-Saharan Africa records the largest number of births to girls aged 15 to 19, and levels of adolescent pregnancy are generally higher among girls with less education or a low economic status (WHO, 2024).

Nigeria shares in this burden. Its adolescent pregnancy rate was estimated at 106 per 1,000 in 2021 and was rising, and reported prevalence in Nigerian studies ranges from 7.5% to 49.5% (Alukagberie et al., 2023). Sexual activity begins early for many: according to the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, 21% of females aged 15 to 19 had already had sexual intercourse, yet only 11% of those in this age group were using any method of contraception (as reported by Ayamolowo et al., 2024). Adolescence is defined by the World Health Organization and the United Nations as the period between 10 and 19 years of age (Ayamolowo et al., 2024).

The causes of adolescent pregnancy in Nigeria are multifactorial. A scoping review of studies published between 2007 and 2022 found that associated factors operate at the individual, family, peer, school, community and societal levels, with educational attainment and household wealth showing the strongest associations (Alukagberie et al., 2023). The factors identified in that review include lack of sexuality education, peer pressure, limited parental guidance and support, media influence, poverty and the pursuit of financial gain, sexual violence, ignorance of the changes of puberty, and non-use of contraception (Alukagberie et al., 2023).

These factors fall naturally into the categories examined in this study. Economic hardship is one. Financial pressure within a household, whether in poor or middle-class families, can push adolescents into sexual relationships for material gain, and adolescents from lower-income backgrounds also face greater difficulty in obtaining reproductive health information and services (Ayamolowo et al., 2024). Schooling costs form part of this pressure, since a girl who cannot meet her needs may seek help from a partner. Social and psychological factors form another category: peer influence, family dynamics and parental closeness all matter, as parental closeness and supervision lower the likelihood of adolescent pregnancy, while communication gaps in some households leave girls without warning about the dangers of sex (Ayamolowo et al., 2024). Developmental immaturity also plays a part, because younger adolescents may lack the emotional maturity to foresee the consequences of sexual activity (Ayamolowo et al., 2024). Finally, adolescent sexual behaviour itself, including early sexual debut, multiple partners and low or inconsistent use of contraception, increases the risk of unintended pregnancy (Ayamolowo et al., 2024).

Culture and community shape all of these. In many Nigerian settings, premarital sex is socially disapproved, and sexual matters are rarely discussed openly with young people. This stigma limits adolescents’ access to contraception and to reproductive health education (Ayamolowo et al., 2024). The same is true of Owerri North, where pregnancy and motherhood outside marriage are not socially accepted, so that a pregnant student may be shamed and unsupported.

The consequences are serious. Adolescent girls with unintended pregnancies often turn to abortion, and in Nigeria, where abortion is legally restricted, many resort to unsafe procedures with serious risks to their health (Ayamolowo et al., 2024). Reasons given for abortion among unmarried adolescents include the effect of pregnancy on their education, childbearing outside marriage and fear of expulsion from school (Ayamolowo et al., 2024). Children born to adolescent mothers also have worse health outcomes than those born to older mothers (Alukagberie et al., 2023), and the social and economic consequences of early pregnancy include stigma and interrupted schooling (WHO, 2024). In an earlier study of secondary school students in Owerri, 31.6% of those who had ever had sex reported an unintended pregnancy and 20.2% reported an abortion (Okereke, 2010).

Policies on adolescent sexual and reproductive health exist in Nigeria, but they need more funding, implementation and monitoring, and the few interventions available focus mainly on contraception and the training of health providers (Alukagberie et al., 2023). Because the causes are many and are rooted in local conditions, it is necessary to establish empirically which factors students themselves perceive as responsible for teenage pregnancy in their own environment. This study therefore examines the factors associated with teenage pregnancy among secondary school students in Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo State.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Teenage pregnancy remains a major concern in Nigeria. Its prevalence is high and rising (Alukagberie et al., 2023), and it interrupts the education of the girls affected, exposes them to the risks of unsafe abortion and early childbearing, and carries lasting social and economic costs (Ayamolowo et al., 2024; WHO, 2024). Efforts through policies, health education and school programmes have not brought it under control, since existing policies are weakly implemented and monitored (Alukagberie et al., 2023).

Opinions on the causes of teenage pregnancy differ. Some blame economic hardship, others point to peer influence, weak parental supervision, early sexual activity or the loosening of social taboos around sex. Without local evidence, programmes cannot target the factors that matter most. Few studies have examined the perceived causes of teenage pregnancy among secondary school students in Owerri North Local Government Area, and the earlier work in Owerri is now dated (Okereke, 2010). This study therefore examines the perceived causes of teenage pregnancy among secondary school students in Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo State, so as to propose ways of reducing its occurrence.

1.3 Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of the study is to examine the perceived causes of teenage pregnancy among secondary school students in Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo State. Specifically, the study examines:

1. the economic factors associated with teenage pregnancy among secondary school students in Owerri North Local Government Area;
2. the social and psychological factors associated with teenage pregnancy among secondary school students in the area;
3. the adolescent sexual behaviours associated with teenage pregnancy among secondary school students in the area; and
4. the consequences of teenage pregnancy among secondary school students in the area.

1.4 Research Questions

The following research questions were formulated to guide the study:

1. What are the economic factors associated with teenage pregnancy among secondary school students in Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo State?
2. What are the social and psychological factors associated with teenage pregnancy among secondary school students in Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo State?
3. What are the adolescent sexual behaviours associated with teenage pregnancy among secondary school students in Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo State?
4. What are the consequences of teenage pregnancy among secondary school students in Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo State?

1.5 Significance of the Study

The study will be of value to teachers, school administrators, social workers, parents, government and the students themselves.

It will give government and education authorities evidence for designing programmes that inform parents and young people about sexual and reproductive health, which have been recommended as part of the response to adolescent pregnancy (Alukagberie et al., 2023; Ayamolowo et al., 2024). Such programmes can help delay early sexual activity, discourage early marriage and keep girls in school.

The findings will help students by showing the personal and educational costs of teenage pregnancy, which may encourage them to focus on their studies and make informed decisions.

They will help social workers and school counsellors to choose counselling methods suited to students’ real needs. They will also help school administrators to understand the economic pressures their students face and to raise them with parents, for example at Parent-Teacher Association meetings. Finally, they will help social scientists and health researchers to identify the causes of this social problem and to propose lasting solutions.

1.6 Scope of the Study

The study is delimited to Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo State and to secondary school students in SS1 to SS3. The content covered includes the concept of teenage pregnancy and the adolescent, social, economic and psychological factors associated with it, as well as its consequences.

1.7 Definition of Terms

Teenage (adolescent) pregnancy: pregnancy in a girl aged 19 years or younger.

Adolescence: the period between 10 and 19 years of age (Ayamolowo et al., 2024).

Unintended pregnancy: a pregnancy that is unwanted or that occurs earlier than desired (Ayamolowo et al., 2024).

Perceived causes: the factors that respondents believe are responsible for teenage pregnancy.

References

Alukagberie, M. E., Elmusharaf, K., Ibrahim, N., & Poix, S. (2023). Factors associated with adolescent pregnancy and public health interventions to address in Nigeria: A scoping review. Reproductive Health, 20(1), 95. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-023-01629-5

Ayamolowo, L. B., Ayamolowo, S. J., Adelakun, D. O., et al. (2024). Factors influencing unintended pregnancy and abortion among unmarried young people in Nigeria: A scoping review. BMC Public Health, 24, 1494. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-19005-8

Okereke, C. I. (2010). Assessing the prevalence and determinants of adolescents’ unintended pregnancy and induced abortion in Owerri, Nigeria. Journal of Biosocial Science, 42(5), 619–632.

World Health Organization. (2024, April 10). Adolescent pregnancy [Fact sheet]. https://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-pregnancy