A Nene Story: The Lived Experiences of Teenage Mothers

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements in

App 3 – Research in Daily Life

Submitted to:

NONA GRACE O. ISTURIS

Master Teacher I

STO. TOMAS NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

CLAUDETTE CLARK DUMARAN

MICHAEL ANGELO ROMERO
CRIS ANNE MARIE TONOG
CARL DAVE MIRAFLORES
ROZENN KHYRT TESADO
ZIDNEY SHYNE BELDIA
ALTHEA JADE SUICO
TRISHA MAE LOPEZ
NATHALY IMPERIAL
GUILA JOY MUNDO
YVONNE AMPER
LEAH PATERES
Researchers
 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Teenage pregnancy is a huge issue not only in the Philippines, but also globally.

This certain issue is the reason of early childbirth and early parenthood. The increasing

number of teenage mothers is one of the major issues in many countries. According to

2013 research by the National Demographic and Health Survey, one out of every ten

young Filipino women aged 15 to 19 is already a mother or carrying her first child. In

addition, it has become one of South Asia's most serious public health issues (Raj et al.,

2010). Specifically, this research study is about the lived experiences of adolescent

mothers. The adolescence stage is a period of development and growth which happens

after childhood and before adulthood from ages 10 to 19 (WHO, 2014). The public

perception of teenage mothers was already negative. Prejudice and discrimination

among teenage mothers appear to be a serious social issue that healthcare

professionals ought to tackle (Jones, 2019).

This research study is conducted to describe the experiences of the young

females who experienced early motherhood. This is important for everyone to

understand the deeper meaning of being a teenage mom. Teen moms face a lot of

challenges, it may be spiritual, physical, psychological, and social. According to

Williamson (2013), teenage mothers are in constant need for training and support, and

usually encounter situations and major changes that are mostly new to them. Teen

moms are also prone to mental health problems, experience role conflict and identity

confusion, and receives insufficient social and spiritual support (Sekhoetsane, 2012).

Education disruption and financial issues are other common difficulties among
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adolescent mothers (Van Zyl et al., 2015). Dealing with these unpleasant situations is

difficult, especially for young people with underdeveloped minds. The preparation for

accepting the parental role has a significant impact on maternal adjustment and

adulthood transition (Riva Crugnola et al., 2014). Because the majority of adolescent

moms are in poor socio-economic status, the adjustment to parenthood is difficult for

them (Leese, 2016).

Furthermore, motherhood is a significantly important event in the life of a woman

(Javadifar et al.,2016). However, being a mother at such a young age can be tough.

They may feel dejected and ashamed about their condition because they are frequently

the target of criticism. Not only would this study benefit the community in

comprehending the stories of young mothers, but it would also enable the world to be

more open-minded and provide better services by learning about and understanding the

experiences of teenage mothers. Researching a teenage mother's experience of

motherhood can help the government and health care providers with additional insights,

leading in more effective responses to teenage moms' issues.

There is a lot of literature on teenage parenthood, but the most of it is about

teenage pregnancy. The focus of this research, however, is on teenage motherhood.

This qualitative phenomenological study is done to determine the lived experiences of

the teenage mothers in the Municipality of Sto. Tomas, Davao del Norte and how these

certain experiences affected their lives.

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PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to describe the lived

experiences of Teenage Mothers in the Municipality of Sto. Tomas, Davao del

Norte. The goal of this study is to find out what obstacles these adolescent mothers

face, as well as their perspectives on those challenges and the experiences they have

encountered.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. What are the experiences of teenage mothers?

2. How do teenage moms cope with the challenges in connection to their

experiences?

3. What are the insights of teenage moms they could share with other

teenagers or the community in general?

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Early motherhood is rated by obstetricians and gynecologists, pediatricians, child

psychologists, sociologists, family physicians, and nurses in developed countries as one

of the most serious public health concerns (Diaconescu et al., 2015). The majority of

teenage mothers required assistance due to new duties, greater obligations, health

issues, rising costs, and a lack of information. They had a hard time coping with

parenthood without proper assistance.

Family, community, and health-care providers do not provide appropriate support

to teen mothers. Along with several other studies, teenage mothers do not receive

enough social support (Aparicio et al., 2015). According to Stroble (2013), teen moms

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are faced with new expenses such as newborn nourishment and care, as well as fees

associated with mother and child therapy, and hence must seek financial assistance

from family and friends.

Teenage preganancy is a global issue and a major contributor to school drop-out

among girls. Permanent expulsion was one of the solutions made for teenage

pregnancy but this has been proven ineffective and unfair to the girls. Now there is a

return to school policy where a student is temporarily dismissed from school due to

teenage pregnancy to further pursue their education (Okeyo, 2012).

Okeyo (2012) has said that student-mothers go through a number of challenges

as they live double lives as mothers and students. Often challenges are faced like lack

of support due to other factors like lack of finances and time being limited. Due to

student mothers’ situation being difficult they have adapted coping mechanism.

According to Okeyo (2012), Their coping mechanisms included: problem-focused,

avoidance and emotion-focused strategies and the support they received upon

resuming studies were spiritual and social support.

Having a child while a teenager and a student is stressful because child rearing

takes time and energy, and with a few exceptions, women are the primary caregivers for

their children (Brown and Amankwaa, 2007). Raising a child while a full-time student,

according to Kidwell (2004), can be daunting and difficult; however, it will be easier if

she has a partner or family member who can assist her in caring for the child. Parenting

is a demanding job, and some women are unable to handle all of the responsibilities. It

is preferable if there are people nearby who can help. Although having family, friends,

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and spousal support after giving birth to a baby is ideal, this expectation can lead to

stress and depression in the postpartum period (Brown and Amankwaa, 2007).

Adolescent pregnancy is frequently portrayed as a major issue with serious

effects for young mothers and their children (Duncan 2005; Harden et al. 2009; Bell et

al. 2014; Ellis-Sloan 2014). Over the previous two decades, poverty, maternal mental

health, unemployment, and child health deficits have all been linked to adolescent

pregnancy (Social Exclusion Unit: SEU 1999; Department for Education and Skills

2006).

THEORETICAL LENS

This phenomenological study was anchored on Sister Callista Roy’s (1980) –

Adaptation Theory. Adaptation is defined in this theory as "the process by which an

individual or group makes conscious choices to cope with their situation." People's

ability to cope and attain their goals, such as survival, growth, mastery of their lives, and

personal and environmental transformation, is enhanced through adaptive responses.

However, according to Roy's adaptation theory, there are four distinct modes:

physiologic (basic needs such as food, sleep, air, and water, as well as the necessities

of protecting the body); self-concept (beliefs and feelings about oneself); role

identity/function (personal perspective on the social world); and interdependence

(personal relationship towards the whole organization).

As a result, a person is an open adaptive system that deals with pressures

through coping abilities. As per study, the 'person' portrays teenage mothers. The

environment, according to Roy, includes "all conditions, circumstances, and influences

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that surround and influence the person's development and conduct" (Andrews & Roy,

1991). The environment may then add up the participants' challenges in dealing with

pregnancy and motherhood Roy's purpose for nursing, on the other hand, is to "promote

adaptation in each of the four modes, thereby contributing to the person's health, quality

of life, and dignity in death" (Roy, 1980).

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study is significant and expected to help:

The outcome could help the teenagers to understand the situation of their fellow

teenagers and lessen the discrimination faced by the teenagers who became a mother

at an early age.

It could also help the parents to understand more and accept the teenagers who

got pregnant and lend a helping hand to them.

In addition, the outcome could also help the educators to help and educate other

teenagers to understand what causes being teenage mom, the experiences, and how it

would affect one’s life as a student and teenager.

This study is also significant to the Local Government Unit (LGU) to possibly

convince them to develop a program that would make other people understand the

situation and difficulties of the teen moms. In addition, empathizing and creating

programs that would be helpful for the teen moms for them to support themselves, and

their families.

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 Finally, this could help the researchers as it allows them to have a deeper

understanding regarding the said phenomenon. It could also help them gain insights

about the teen mom’s experiences and how they were able to move forward even

though they have undergone some experiences that would be too big for them to

handle.

DEFINITION OF TERMS

For a better understanding of the study, the following terms are defined both

conceptually and practically.

Nene. Teenage females in the Philippines are commonly referred to as "Nene,"

and the utilization of the term "Nene” in the title of this research study as an alternative

phrase to cleverly refer to teenage moms, is inspired by the given nickname of the

teenage girls in the Philippines.

Teenage Mothers. A teenager means a person between the ages of thirteen and

nineteen, and teenage mothers means young girls (ages from 13-19) who have

experienced early pregnancy, childbirth, and motherhood.

SCOPE AND DELIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

The study will cover the lived experiences of teenage gu vv

irls who have experienced early motherhood. This will focus on the experiences

of being a teenage mother. The primary subjects of this research study will consist of

teenage girls (ages 13-19) who experienced early pregnancy and has an experience of

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motherhood for at least one (1) year; and gave birth to their first child by the age of 13 to

19 years old. The participants will be limited to five (5) teenage mothers in the

Municipality of Sto. Tomas, Davao del Norte and another five (5) teenage mothers for

the conduction of focus group discussion still from the same place. According to Henson

(2016), in qualitative research, the ideal number of participants ranges from five to

seven.

Moreover, there are two main methods to be applied in data collection for this

research study, in-depth interview and focus group discussion. For the data analysis,

thematic analysis shall be done observing from recording, transcription, translation, data

reduction, and thematic analysis shall be observed.

ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY

The study is well-organized and rationally laid out for easy comprehension. The

following is a discussion of the study's organization.

The study's introduction, which focuses on the topic content and context of the

problem, is presented in Chapter 1. Contained within this main component are: the

purpose of the study, which contains a comprehensive statement of the problem, the

research questions, which are detailed in nature and are to be addressed in the conduct

of this study, the theoretical lens, which discusses the theories and concepts to which

this study is anchored, the importance of the study, which contains a list of identified

groups of people and organizations, the definition of terms provides comprehensive

meanings of the terms that may be ambiguous on the part of the readers so they can

generate understanding of the terms, and the scope and delimitations of the study

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provide the limiting parameters of this research in terms of focus the subject matter,

locus-the location or environment, and modus-the mode and manner of conducting this

study.

The numerous methodologies used in the study's conduct are discussed in

Chapter 2. It explains qualitative methodologies as well as the various processes and

procedures that must be followed in order to get the appropriate data. This section gives

the reader a thorough explanation of how the study will be carried out.

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