Social Capital and Adolescent Girls’ Resilience to Teenage Pregnancy in Begoro, Ghana

Abstract

This study focuses on how older adolescent girls access and utilize social capital to develop resilience against teenage pregnancy in Begoro, Ghana. A survey of 419 non-pregnant girls aged 15-19 years, selected using a multi-stage cluster sampling technique, was conducted in 2012. Qualitative data were gathered through in-depth interviews with ten girls purposively selected from the survey respondents. Parents, relatives, teachers and religious groups were found to be important sources of social capital for the non-pregnant girls in developing resilience against teenage pregnancy. In addition, resilient girls tended to rely on multiple sources of social capital. It is recommended that stakeholders and policymakers in Ghana ensure that these significant sources of social capital in adolescent girls' sexual experience are equipped with the right information to help girls decrease the risk of teenage pregnancy.

Predictors of pregnancy among young people in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and narrative synthesis

“…In a study from Ghana, girls cited parents not being present in the household as a reason why they were susceptible to involvement in sexual relationships with men 26. In another study from Ghana, 74.6% of girls who were highly resilient to pregnancy cited their parents as a source of social support compared with 38.6% of low-resilience girls 36. Family instability, breakdown and parental divorce were cited as predictors in three of the studies 30 31 38.…”

“…Lack of parental communication and support, or poor parenting were cited as predictors, being reported in five of the studies 26 34–37. In a study from Ghana, girls cited parents not being present in the household as a reason why they were susceptible to involvement in sexual relationships with men 26.…”

Religious development across adolescence and early adulthood.

“…Religiosity tends to be associated with delayed sexual debut, lower likelihood of being sexually active, lower frequency of sexual behavior, fewer sexual partners, more consistent contraceptive use, and lower likelihood of sexual behavior induced by substance use (e.g., Hull et al, 2011;Longest & Uecker, 2018;Manlove et al, 2008;Muhammad et al, 2017). Religiosity may protect against sexual risk taking primarily via conservative sexual attitudes (Hull et al, 2011) but perhaps also through self-control, social norms, social capital, and affiliation with conventional peers (e.g., Gyan et al, 2017;Manlove et al, 2008;Vazsonyi & Jenkins, 2010). Religiosity may also be linked to less use of sexual media (Hardy et al, 2013).…”

Passing as “Normal”: Adolescent Girls’ Strategies for Escaping Stigma of Premarital Sex and Childbearing in Ghana

“…Adolescent girls’ sexual and reproductive health behaviors are usually stigmatized through labeling, discrimination, stereotyping, separation, and status loss (Imoro, 2009; Link & Phelan, 2001; Morhe, Tagbor, Ankobea, & Danso, 2012). For instance, girls who seek for information on sexual and reproductive health may be labeled as “bad girls” by the service providers, their family, or the community members (Ampofo, 2001; Gyan, Ahorlu, Dzorgbo, & Fayorsey, 2016; Yardley, 2008). Adolescent mothers may face discrimination from institutions such as schools, health workers, and health service providers when they seek their services (Imoro, 2009; Yardley, 2008).…”