Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION:

Teenage pregnancy has been a worldwide issue that needs to be confronted to

mitigate the problems of maternal adolescent childbearing, especially in the third
world countries. In fact, it has emerged to be one of the major public health problems
in South Asia (Raj et al., 2010) and in Western Europe (Seamarck, 2001). It is
reported in India that adolescent pregnancy is one of the serious health threats for
women aged 15-19 years old (Patra, 2016). In Nigeria, the ratio of teenage mothers
to women in their 20s who actually die during pregancy and childbirth is 5:1. In
addition, they likely have more higher mortality rates for infants (Amoran, 2012).
Consequently, social analysts and researchers enumerated some of the reason why
pregnacies among adolescents have been increasing in spite of interventions from
government health agencies and NGOs. Thus, the reasons vary from socio-
economic status (Dulita, Nalika, Upul, Crishantha & De Alwis, 2013), lack of
education (Eloundou-Enyegue, 2004), teenagers’ initiation to sexual activity (Grace,
Ihuoma & Temitope, 2013), family history of teenage births (Wall-Wieler, Ross &
Nickel, 2016), etc. The incidence of mortality in teenage pregnancies and adverse
birth outcomes is increasing every year due to immature pre-natal care, socio-
economic challenges, and inadequte weight gained during pregnancy (Xi-Kuan, Shi
Wu, Flemming Demissie & Rhoads, 2007). However, the Philippines have the same
predicament regarding teenage pregnancy. Due to the official ranking of the United
Nation Population Fund Agency in 2012, the number of teenage pregnancies, aged
10-19 years old, have increased to 70% over the last ten years. As a result, this has
imposed a huge problem towards the achievement of Millennium Development
Goals that puts the country in red alert (Philippine News Agency, 2012). Moreover,
14% of the teenage girls in the age bracket of 15- 19 were reported for the first time
to be already mothers or have had several children in the 2014 survey of Young
Adult Fertility and Sexuality as compared to the 8% of the 2002 survey (Au-Yeung,
2014). Among the reasons identified, the major causes of teenage pregnancies are
limited access to sexual education and sexual health services. This is contrary to the
church teachings’ alternative methods of family planning. New technology is also
considered as one of the major culprits to the increased number of teenage
pregnancy cases. Occasionally, teenagers get hooked to different social networking
sites such as Facebook, Online Dating, Instagram, etc. using their smartphones,
notebooks and tablets. Due to easy access to new technology and the curiosity of
teenagers to engage in sexual activities without appropriate knowledge about family
planning and contraception’s, it often ends up with unplanned pregnancy. The big
question is: Are they prepared for the role of a mother despite their young ages?
How far can teenagers go to get rid of the unwanted pregnancy? Is abortion an
option? the researcher conducted a study and to analyze the lived experiences of
the teenagers who is experiencing an early pregnancy, and in addition to this, the
present study aimed to determine the problem faced by the teenagers for being
pregnant in an early stage and to raise awareness and educate them to avoid being
a teen parent in an early stage.
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY:
The relationship between conduct problems at age 8 years and teenage pregnancy
by the age of 18 years was analyzed in a birth cohort of 491 girls. A statistically
significant association was found between early conduct problems and later risk of
teenage pregnancy, with girls in the most disturbed 10% of the cohort having a
pregnancy rate that was 5.3 times higher (p < .001) than the rate found in the least
disturbed 50% of the cohort. The elevated risk of teenage pregnancy amongst girls
with early conduct problems was in part, explained by social and family factors that
were correlated with early conduct problems, and in part, by a causal chain process
in which early conduct problems were associated with increased rates of risk-taking
behaviors in adolescence, which in turn led to an increased risk of teenage
pregnancy. These results suggest that the higher rate of teenage pregnancy among
girls with early conduct problems reflected both their relatively disadvantaged family
backgrounds and their tendencies to risk taking behavior in adolescence.
While many girls who become mothers before completing schooling consider
academic qualifications to be very important, they may not be able to succeed
academically if the support they need to complete their studies is insufficient.
Usually, instead of getting support, the teen mothers endure misunderstandings and
pressure. The teen mothers may feel disempowered because they are 'othered' and
consequently, they develop forms of resistance which in most cases may foster their
failure as learners. Our aim was to find out how much support was offered to these
girls to facilitate their schooling, thus making it possible for them to complete their
education and become self-reliant.
Early pregnancy becomes a social problem in our society and also in the Philippines.
The study sought to determine the factors contributing to and biological concepts of
adolescent mothers in early pregnancy. Results revealed that most adolescent
mothers gave birth when they were 17-19 years old; most of them continue their
studies and returned to school after three years and above.

THEORITICAL FRAME WORK:

qualitative study, based on the Schütz theoretical framework, with 30 adolescents
assisted in an outpatient clinic for adolescents in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. From the
narrative interviews carried out in the first semester of 2013, in the return for the first
consultation of the puerperium, the communicative processes were identified, the
central ideas and units of meanings expressed in the themes were abstracted: I was
dating and became pregnant; realities and perspectives. adolescents justified
pregnancy through sexual drive and insufficient prevention; they narrated the fear
faced, difficulties in motherhood and continuity of studies. The realities coexisted
with the prospects of family members and partners helping to educate the child to
achieve a different future from what they themselves experienced.
a qualitative descriptive phenomenological study, purposively selecting and
interviewing 20 parents of both boys and girls. After individually interviewing parents,
we analysed the data using the Colaizzi method. Three overarching themes
emerged from the interviews, namely, the effects of teenage pregnancy on parents,
the prevention strategies and the role of parents in the prevention of teenage
pregnancy. 
in relation to these theories, the present study aimed to determined the lived
experiences of the teenagers, on the other hand this study is intended to identify the
problems faced by the teenage mom and how it affects it to their lives.

METHODOLOGY:
The primary objective of this qualitative phenomenological research is to explore and
understand the lived experiences of mothers in their teenage European Scientific
Journal November 2016 edition vol.12, No.32 ISSN: 1857 – 7881 (Print) e - ISSN
1857- 7431 175 years. Phenomenology is the study of phenomena (Salvador, 2016).
Thus, it states that each situation or experience can only be experienced by a single
person who has gained new perceptions and insights (Crotty, 1997). The insights
from this study may be beneficial to others and is considered as the primary goal of
research (Bryman, 2012). Moreover, phenomenological inquiry is grounded on
exploring and understanding the lived experiences of human beings. This can be
achieved by figuring-out the meaning of the experiences and human being’s lived
experiences’ essences (Creswell, 2012). This phenomenological study was
anchored on Sister Callista Roy’s (1980) – Adaptation Theory. This theory ‘defines
adaptation as the process by which an individual or group makes conscious choices
to cope with his or her situation. Adaptive responses increase people's ability to cope
and to achieve their goals including survival, growth, mastery of their lives, and
personal and environmental transformation’. However, Roy's adaptation theory
stated that there are four distinctive modes: physiologic (basic needs including food,
sleep, air, water, and the necessities of protecting the body); self-concept (beliefs
and feelings about self); role identity/function (personal perspective to the social
world); and interdependence (personal relationship towards the whole organization).
Therefore, a person is an open adaptive system who uses coping skills to deal with
stressors. In line with the study, the ‘person’ represents the teenage mothers. Roy
sees the environment as "all conditions, circumstances, and influences that surround
and affect the development and behavior of the person" (Andrews & Roy, 1991).
Environment then may sum up the challenges of the participants in facing life with
pregnancy and motherhood. However, Roy's goal for nursing is "the promotion of
adaptation in each of the four modes, thereby contributing to the person's health,
quality of life, and dying with dignity" (Roy, 1980). The participants of the study were
sixteen (16) teenage mothers aged 13-19 years old who are currently residing in the
capital of the Philippines. Selection of participants was obtained through purposive
sampling. The inclusion criteria for this study include: informed consent signed by
both participants and at least one of the biological/legal foster parents; age bracket
of 13-18 years old; willingness to share their lived experiences; and their
commitment to attend follow-up dialogues. Consequently, semi-structured in-depth
interviews were facilitated as the main research instrumentation in gathering the
data. However, participants were given the option if they wish to be withdrawn
anytime to preserve the principle of autonomy and confidentiality. Observations, use
of field notes (personal, transcript and analytical), audio-visual recordings, and
European Scientific Journal November 2016 edition vol.12, No.32 ISSN: 1857 –
7881 (Print) e - ISSN 1857- 7431 176 qualitative documents were also used to
supplement the data collection process.
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK:
The figure showed the conceptual paradigm of the study indicating the input variable
the process, the output variable and the feedback.

Process
Input Output
 Determine
 Teenagers the  Knows
who is objectives what lived
pregnant in  Create an experienc
an early interview es of the
stage and take teenage
note the mothers.
lived  And how it
experience is to live in
s of the an early
stage.
respondent
Feedback
s

Figure 1. Research paradigm

We use the IPO model as our conceptual framework, the first frame is the input
variable where the problem is the problem stated, and the second frame is the
process which how are we going to investigate the problem, the third frame which is
the output variable where we see the result of the study and the last frame is the
feedback.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM:

This study aims to determine the lived experiences of teenagers who is pregnant in
an early stage of grade 11 and 12 students at catubig valley national high school
senior high school department, Brgy. 1 Poblacion. Specifically, it sought to answer
the following questions
Specific problems:
1. What is the demographic profile in terms of the respondents;

1.1 Age
1.2 Sex
1.3 Grade level
1.4 Strand
 2. What problems faced by the teenagers who are pregnant early?
3. What is the solution to avoid these problems?
4. What are the possible effects on the students in being pregnant in an early
stage?

HYPOTHESIS:
Through this study, the senior high school of the catubig valley can educate those
teenagers of what is being pregnant in an early stage and can avoid the risk of
getting pregnant early.

SCOPE AND DELIMITATIONS:

This study is conducted at the catubig valley national high school senior high school,
and the respondents are the students in the said school.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY:

The study will be conducted to find out the extent of how extreme is the effect of the
major causes of teenage pregnancy  to the educational development of students and
out-of-school youth in catubig valley national highschool The result of this study is
beneficial to students and out-of-school youth, to the parents, teachers, to the
community, school administrators, researchers and other interested individuals
because this can serve as empirical data where suggestion of minimizing teenage
pregnancy  in the community can be taken.
The study will also benefit students who still are at school because it will  give them
information about the cause and possible effects of teenage pregnancy to their
studies once they got pregnant. In one way or in another this paper will guide them
to focus first their attention to their studies rather than giving priority to their romantic
affairs with boyfriends.

This study will also benefit the parents to enable them to realize their great role in
educating their teenagers, protecting and diverting them from indulging early sex
especially if without marriage. They must be aware too of what kind of peers their
teenagers have. This study too will make the parents aware that education about the
use of contraceptives will start also at home.
This study will also benefit the teachers for they could be informed how important is
education to the development of children to manhood. This enables them to guide
and identify the major causes of teenage pregnancy  especially in catubig valley
national high school Then and there they would intensify their functions to counter
those causes by diversity The interest of teenage in engaging early sex and if ever
teenagers are already fall of indulging sex both boys and girls,
then contraceptives will play on this to prevent teenage pregnancy.
This study will also benefit school administrators. It would provide them information
of the importance of knowing the major factors behind early pregnancy and the
possible effects on educational development of teenagers. It’s one way that
administrators will intensify sex education on their school, improve the knowledge of
their faculties or teachers through seminars so that they can deal well with students
to avoid pregnancy at early age. And truncate if it not half way to the learners to be
effective and to be understood.

DEFINITION OF TERMS
Abortion- the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy, most often performed
during the first 28 weeks of pregnancy.
Adolescence- the period following the onset of puberty during which a young person
develops from a child into an adult.
Biological- (of a member of a person's family) genetically related; related by blood.
Disempower- make (a person or group) less powerful or confident.
Insufficient- not enough; inadequate.
Prospects- the possibility or likelihood of some future event occurring.
Phenomena- means a fact or situation that is observed to exist or happen,
especially one whose cause or explanation is in question.
Sex Education- means learning the external conditions such as psychological,
sociological, economic and social factors that affect the personality, behavior and
development of a boy to manhood and fatherhood and a girl to motherhood as well
as with human reproduction.
Teenage Pregnancy -means conception by a girl between the ages of twelve (12)
and nineteen (19) year old which was not planned for.
Truncate- means ‘to replace
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