Perceived determinants of teenage pregnancy among female public secondary school students in Kwara State, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Adolescents are beyond childhood yet have not fully matured in all aspects of life. They tend to engage in unprotected sexual intercourse, which could result in female adolescent pregnancy, health complications and, consequently, delay or denial of their educational progress. Objectives: Therefore, this study investigated the perceived determinants of teenage pregnancy among female public secondary school students in Kwara State, Nigeria, with the view to examining the socioeconomic factors and evaluating family dynamics. Methodology: The study employed a survey design. The population comprised 49985 female public secondary school students in Kwara State. The Multistage sampling procedure, including cluster, proportionate, purposive, and random sampling techniques, was used to select 438 respondents. The research instrument used for the study was a questionnaire validated by and tested for reliability, which yielded 0.86. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, specifically frequency and percentage. Results: The findings of the study revealed that female students receiving gifts or other favours from males in exchange for sexual intercourse could lead to teenage pregnancy, and single parenthood is not a determinant of teenage pregnancies. Conclusion/ recommendations: The study concluded that receiving gifts from men is a significant predisposing factor for teenage pregnancy, as it often creates a power imbalance and fosters unhealthy relationships that can lead to early sexual initiation. Single parenthood is a manifestation, rather than a cause, of deeper structural issues driving teenage pregnancy among female secondary school students in Kwara State. The study recommended that parents should provide their children with adequate financial support and that every family should give their children adequate sex education to prevent them from engaging in illicit sex, which can predispose them to teenage pregnancy.