Socio-economic challenges and coping strategies of pregnant teenage mothers in Kampala Uganda
Abstract
The study aimed to establish the socio-economic challenges and coping strategies of pregnant teenage mothers in Kampala Uganda. Data were collected using face-to-face in-depth interviews from 15 purposively selected primary participants and 3 key informants.Teenage mothers experience a range of socio-economic challenges at a personal and interpersonal level. Maltreatment, social stigma, school dropout as well as financial difficulties are the socio-economic challenges faced by teenage mothers. To cope with these challenges, teenage mothers in Kampala adopted diverse coping strategies including use of social support, personal savings, support from family as well as support from community based organizations. The study findings confirm that teenage mothers experience socio economic challenges and have inadequate means to cope with these. Social work responses targeting individual mothers as well as their families are critical to help these girls navigate their challenges.