CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A man's work is from sun to sun, but a mother's work is never done. Being a

mother is hard enough as she has the responsibilities to raise her child with cultural

values and good education. From the day her child is born, a mother’s patience will be

tested. Being a mother means teaching your child important rules and roles of life,

learning how to be responsible of one's actions (Diranian, 2015), and teaching your child

to function independently (Bean, 2014). The role of a mother is never easy, such that she

cares not only for herself, but also for the welfare of her children.

However, there are challenges that may come to a mother if her daughter

experiences teenage pregnancy, such as multi-tasking, financial problem and criticism.

Teenage fertility rates in the UK are amongst the highest in Europe and have not altered

significantly in the last 15 years, but the proportion of births outside marriage has risen

rapidly (Kiernan, 2013). In Poland, approximately 20,000 teenagers give birth each year.

Moreover, at least 76 out of 1,000 girls in India aged 15 to 19 become pregnant each

year, where United Nations Populations Fund reported forty-seven percent of girls are

married before the legal minimum age (Iaccino, 2012). In Brazil, mothers describe their

reactions and feelings resulting from the discovery of the pregnancy of their adolescent

daughters. All of the interviewees, although they accepted the pregnancy, demonstrated

that they had not liked receiving the news, and that it was difficult to accept the situation

(Santos, 2010).
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Among the six Association of Southeast Asian Nations major economies, the

Philippines ranked the highest rate in teenage pregnancy. According to the United

Nations Population Fund, teenage pregnancy has a huge rate in the Philippines, especially

among the poor. Two-thirds of Filipinos, who give birth before age twenty, belongs to the

low class society (Colia, 2011). The Philippines is one of the Asian countries which

shares the similar situation (Alvarez, 2016). One in ten young Filipino women age fifteen

to nineteen has begun childbearing. Eight percent are already mothers and another two

percent are pregnant with their first child (Natividad, 2013). One in five (19 percent)

young adult Filipino women age 18 to 24 years had initiated their sexual activity before

age 18. Some of them would have had their first intimate sexual act before marriage

(Recide, 2014). In the Davao Region, the number of teenagers and adolescents engaging

in sex out of wedlock remains on the rise and has become an acceptable trend among

young people (Dumama, 2013). The environment where they belong also contributes in

the development and in the decision making of the teen. Everyone and everything around

them have a great impact in their life, and as teenagers who are mostly carefree and

fearless, their decision can either make or break them (Cox, 2013).

Because of this, a teenager’s normal course of education is hindered and

responsibilities are added. The teenager puts her in a place where she is responsible not

only for herself, but also for another human (Nall, 2014). Others who are planning to

attend college in the future may put off that experience after becoming pregnant. A

teenager may suffer an emotional crisis, depression or neglect of the baby (Bodeeb,

2015). Teen parents often find that caring for a child makes it difficult for them to

continue their schooling. More than half of teen mothers never graduate from high
 3

school, and fewer than two percent have graduated from college by the time they are

thirty. Lack of schooling makes it more difficult for teen mothers to find and keep well-

paying jobs (Slocum, 2015). Teenage pregnancy is an issue that can seriously impact the

future and change the course of a young mom’s life.

This ongoing issue does not only affect the pregnant teenager, but her mother

also. Anthropological research has identified that pregnancy in adolescents brings

significant changes in the behavior of families, with the mother figure being highlighted

as a source of support and maintenance of the family structure. It has also recognized the

importance of emotional support, affection and information sources throughout the

gestational process, with these factors considered to be decisive for the adjustment to

pregnancy and the maternal role (Fernandes, 2010). Families in which teenagers bear

children have historically been characterized by grandparental childrearing systems,

wherein the adolescent's mother typically provides the primary hands-on care for the

teen's child. A mother, therefore, is the one who is greatly affected by the pregnancy of

her child. This is not only the effect; a mother’s work is also doubled because of their

hands-on care for their child. These double parenting duties can be extensive and time

consuming. As a result, it would likely interfere with or distract the mother from

monitoring or supervising her own children (Burton, 2012). The impact brought upon by

early pregnancy now greatly affects the family, especially the mother. Thus, it may be

that the time and role that demands of caring for her daughter’s child compromises a

mother's ability to monitor her own children's behavior and activities.

A mother must think of their level of involvement and commitment to their

pregnant teen. How much support is she willing and able to offer? She should be able to
 4

support her daughter, not only financially but also emotionally. A mother should make

sure her pregnant teenager gets good prenatal care, and listen as her daughter shares her

fears and anxieties (Dowshen, 2016). Parenthood is the leading reason why teen girls

drop out of school. Less than half of teen moms even graduate from high school and

fewer than twenty-seven percent earn a college degree. Financially, raising a child is very

expensive. There are a number of necessities required to provide a child with the best

care including diapers, food, clothing, strollers, car seats, health care, etc. With teen

parents already having the responsibility of taking care of their child, maintaining a well-

paying job in order to gain financial stability is more complicated (Chiariello &

Goldstein, 2016). Because of this, a mother must be there to support her daughter in a

rough time such as early pregnancy.

The family is the central perspective in which most human progress occurs. In the

early part of the life course, the parents and other family members are in question

(Barber, 2015). Family support can serve as the foundation of security and growth for an

expectant mother and baby and it has a positive impact on the attitude of women with an

unwanted pregnancy (Kafeel, 2015). All families provide some type of support for

pregnant teenager. This occurs in several ways, either by having the adolescents that

remained single and their children in their own house, or by financial support and help in

upbringing the children. In some families, support is conditioned to the fulfillment of

some requirements, such as adjusting the behavior of family members to the role of

mothers. This demands changes in the life style, dedication to studies or work, with

discipline and greater intensity and consequently, restriction to leisure activities and

decrease or interruption in night life (Alvarez, Borges & Hoga, 2009). Furthermore,
 5

pregnant women with low support reported increased depressive symptoms and reduced

quality of life (Elsenbruch, S., et. al., 2007). Teenagers that do not have a strong family

support system are less likely to finish high school and less likely to attend college. They

will be unable to develop work skills, find childcare and are more likely to live in poverty

(Mikulak & Wolpert, 2013). A pregnant teen, therefore, will need all the help she can get

from her family, who will be her foundation of support, personal teachers, counselors,

and comforters (Loufbourrow, 2016).

Additionally, unintended pregnancy and too-early childbearing remain common.

Early childbearing may be life-threatening to both the mother and the child. The mothers

younger than seventeen face an increased risk of maternal mortality because their bodies

are not yet mature enough to bear children. These young women may not recognize the

symptoms of pregnancy or may not wish to acknowledge a conception, delaying prenatal

care and endangering the health of the child and mother (Yinger N., Sherbinin, A.,

Ochoa, L., et al, 2013).

When an adolescent becomes pregnant and bears a child, it is reasonable to expect

that this affects the adolescent's family, only because the new baby often becomes part of

the family household and requires a great deal of care and attention. But how adolescent

childbearing impacts the adolescent's family of origin, particularly her parents’ parenting

and her siblings’ development, has been a completely neglected area of study. The matter

that is not discussed during or even after early pregnancy is the reaction and the

challenges of the parents. There are also parents who accept and support their early

pregnant. A study found out that while all of them experienced the support of their

friends and families, some were very expressive to share their thoughts and feelings about
 6

the support given to them by their parents, especially their own mothers and also friends

(Bayod, 2016). However, not all parents react like this, in regards to this situation. This

study focuses on the hidden faces of parents, the challenges that they face and how they

are able to overcome with the dilemma of an early pregnant teen.

Theoretical Lens

This study can be seen in the lens of Goode (1960), with his “Role Strain Theory”

and “Initial Stage of Critical Theory”. “Role Strain Theory” postulates that the

psychological stress associated with undertaking multiple roles impedes a person from

performing well in any role. Thus, it may be that the time and role that demands of caring

for her daughter's child compromises a mother's ability to monitor her own children's

behavior and activities. Because a mother is now hands-on with the child of her daughter,

she is unable to look after her own children. The mother of the pregnant teenager will be

hands-on with the child of her daughter. She will be the major caretaker of the child, such

that her daughter is incapable of caring for her own child.

The “Initial Stage of Critical Theory” of Murray & Ozanne (1991) explains the

concrete and practical problem that is focused on how teen mothers prepared materially

for their children given that they lacked the economic and social support of married,

middle-class women. Given that her daughter has not finished studying, the financial

needs will also be sustained by the mother of the teenager, because of the inability of the

teen mom supports her child for she is not a graduate yet. The mother whose daughter is

pregnant at an early age will sustain the material needs for the baby, as she has the one

who has a job and has more knowledge of taking care of an infant.
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These theories are related to this study since the pregnant teen cannot support her

child because of the insufficient educational attainment that may result to her not being

able to get a steady job (as discussed by the “Initial Stage of Critical Theory”). Her

mother is the one who is now caring and supporting for her daughter’s child. The primary

hands-on or the caretaker of the child is now the pregnant teen’s mother. Because of this,

the mother herself will have a hard time in doing multiple roles in the household, as

discussed by the “Role Strain Theory”.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the challenges and

the coping mechanisms of the mothers of pregnant teens in Davao del Sur, Philippines.

Research Questions

1. What are the challenges of the mothers whose child was pregnant at an early age?

2. How did she overcome the challenges she had encountered when her child was at

an early age pregnant?

3. What insights can they give to other mothers whose child was pregnant at an early

age?

Significance of the Study

This phenomenological qualitative study is beneficial and advantageous to:

School Administrators and Staff. This helps the Cor Jesu College administrators

and staff to raise awareness of the consequences and the effects that comes with early

pregnancy. This serves as a helpful record about the existence of parents whose children

became pregnant at an early age.

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Parents. This study informs parents about the prevalence of teenage pregnancy.

This helps parents become conscious about the impact of the early pregnancy particularly

in the financial, social and emotional aspects.

Students and Teenagers. This study brings light to students and teenagers about

the effects of teenage pregnancy. This widens the knowledge of teenagers of the possible

reactions of parents of this phenomenon.

Future Researchers. This study helps the future researchers for them to use this

study as a guide for their own qualitative phenomenological study.

Scope and Limitation

This study is limited on the mothers who have undergone the challenges of being

a parent whose daughter got pregnant at an early age. The parents were currently residing

at Digos City, Davao del Sur. This study was conducted from January to March 2017.

Definition of Terms

The following operational definitions was used in the study for further

understanding of the qualitative phenomenological research:

Challenges. This refers to the financial, emotional and social burdens that the

parents have faced upon knowing that their daughter is pregnant at an early age.

Hidden Faces. This refers to the concealed feelings and opinions of parents with

the issue of their child being pregnant at an early age.

Mothers of Pregnant Teens. This refers to the parents who have been

experiencing the challenges of being a mother to their daughter who got pregnant.
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Review of Related Literature

This chapter presents the ideas and related literature of the study. Those that were

included in this chapter help in familiarizing and understanding information that is

relevant and similar to the present study. This also includes the following variables: (1)

Teenage Pregnancy as a Social Issue (2) The Causes of Early Pregnancy, (3) The Effects

to a Mother of her Teenager’s Pregnancy, (4) Roles of Parents and (5) Consequences of

Early Pregnancy.

Teenage Pregnancy as a Social Issue

Since the 1950s, teenage pregnancy has attracted a great deal of concern and

attention from religious leaders, the public, policymakers, and social scientists, in the

United States and other developed countries. The continuing apprehension about teenage

pregnancy is based on the deep impact that teenage pregnancy can have on the lives of

the girls and their children (Cherry & Dillon, 2015). The issue emerged from social

invisibility during the 1950s and early 1960s, when rates of childbearing among teens

reached peaks. In 1995, teenage childbearing was labeled by President Bill Clinton as

“most serious social problem.” Before the twentieth century, early childbearing occurred

more frequently in parts of the South, in the Border States, and on the western frontier

than in the more settled and established sections of New England (Furstenberg, 2010).

Young women who only have a sister with a teenage birth have greater odds of

pregnancy than young women who have only a mother with a teenage birth. Compared

with young women with no social issue of teenage births, young women whose sister has

a teenage birth and those whose sister and mother both have teenage births have been

significantly more likely to experience a teenage pregnancy. Having both a mother and a
 10

sister who had have teenage births is independently associated with an elevated risk of

pregnancy, even after controlling for socioeconomic and mothers’ parenting

characteristics. Frequent companionship with an older sister is associated with increased

odds of teenage pregnancy; frequent conflict with an older sister who has had a teenage

birth was marginally associated with decreased odds of the outcome (East, Reyes &

Horn, 2007). This means that whoever has a teenage pregnancy in their family were more

likely to become pregnant at an early age.

The primary reason for teen pregnancy is the lack of communication between

them and their parents. This only shows how teenage pregnancy is more of a social issue

than physical or emotional one. Teens that have no strong father figure or parental

guidance will be more likely to have children at an early age. The child provides positive

regard, affection, and fulfills the social loss (Maposa, 2010). Therefore, it impacts

teenage pregnancy by showing the effects which are lack of parental guidance, sex

education, and mass media, and how it relates teenage pregnancy to foster homes.

It is often argued that teenage pregnancy has multiple results as to why it is more

prevalent. In some societies, early marriage and traditional gender roles are important

factors in the rate of teenage pregnancy. For example, in some sub-Saharan African

countries, early pregnancy is often seen as a blessing because it is proof of the young

woman's fertility. In the Indian subcontinent, early marriage and pregnancy are more

common in traditional rural communities compared to the rate in cities. The various areas

have created an educational plan for their youth, and it has helped dramatically (Cameron

& Cook, 2015). There are those who say that society can be blamed for many things, but
 11

teenage pregnancy is not one. Most people blame the individual teenagers for creating

this epidemic across the world.

The Causes of Early Pregnancy

Early pregnancy is complex, especially the causes of why or how it happened to a

teenager. With this, Filipino teens who are early pregnant mostly do not come from

wealthy families. It is more common among young adult women age 15 to 24 with less

education than among those with higher education. These teenage mothers are

predominantly poor, reside in rural areas and have low educational attainment.

(Natividad, 2012). Only about 50% of teenage mothers graduate from high school

(Manlove, Perper & Peterson, 2010) in an era when there are increasing benefits to

completing higher education (Goldin, & Katz, 2008). Young mothers and fathers are

more likely to come from economically disadvantaged families and to have lower

educational attainment. Teenage mothers are more likely to have mothers who have a

child in her teens and were more likely to have exhibited higher levels of emotional

problems particularly in adolescence (Kiernan, 2013).

In 2013, the Regional Health Information System showed that seventeen percent

of those who delivered with live births were ages below nineteen years old. In 2014, there

was an estimated population of more than twenty million belonging to fifteen to twenty-

four years old. Seventy-five percent of the youth were looking for romantic relationship

and thirty-seven percent said it is okay to engage in early sexual encounter (Dumama,

2015). Early pregnancy and motherhood is varied by education and wealth quintile. The

proportion of young adult women who had begun childbearing was higher among those
 12

classified as belonging to poor households than those in wealthier households (Recide,

2014).

Teenage pregnancy is a problem that is both concrete and practical. It is a

growing problem in many countries, including the Philippines. One in six children of

teenage mothers has a low birth weight and is more likely to experience physical and

cognitive problems (Barnett, 1987). In addition, teen mothers are half as likely to

graduate from high school as the rest of the teen population and it is because of the lack

of financial support from parents. Even if they are married, they are 3 times more likely

to be divorced or separated than couples who married in their 20's. One study showed

that approximately 90% of the inmate population at Attica State Prison are born to

teenage mothers (Evans, 1986). Hence, the problem of teen pregnancy is both concrete

and practical.

In other countries such as the United States, demographic studies continued to

report that teenage pregnancy results in lower educational attainment, increased rates of

poverty, and worse “life outcomes” for children of teenage mothers compared to children

of young adult women (Cherry & Dillon, 2015). Initiation of sexual activity before age

18 is more common among young adult women with less education and those in poorer

households. Facing with the predicament of the great number of adolescents who became

pregnant, some experts have come forward with an idea that these young mothers are

responding to a pattern in human evolution that induces people growing up in extremely

stressful circumstances to bear children early and often. Children who grow up in

dangerous conditions are primed to boost the chances of having their genes survive into

the next generation by choosing earlier sex, earlier motherhood and more children. Girls,
 13

therefore, who grow up in households where there is great emotional stress, and

especially where the father is absent, will undergo puberty at an earlier age than other

girls (Belsky, 1991). Environment at circumstances are one factor that increases the rate

of early pregnancy if it becomes too stressful to handle.

Many advocates for the poor are understandably drawn to the issue, as there

appears to be a rapidly spreading acceptance of single parenthood in urban ghettos.

Foremost among them are family planners and sex educators, who believe that the

problem result from lack of access to contraception and legal restrictions on abortion

(Furstenberg, 2010). Hence, contraceptives may be banned in some countries but it can

really help in controlling population growth and early pregnancy.

Parent/child closeness or connectedness, parental supervision or regulation of

children's activities, and parents' values against teen intercourse (or unprotected

intercourse) decrease the risk of adolescent pregnancy. Largely because of

methodological complexities, research results about parent/child sexual communication

and adolescent pregnancy risk are very inconsistent. Residing in disorganized or

dangerous neighborhoods and in a lower SES family, living with a single parent, having

older sexually active siblings or pregnant/parenting teenage sisters, and being a victim of

sexual abuse all place teens at elevated risk of adolescent pregnancy. Several biological

factors (timing of pubertal development, hormone levels, and genes) also are related to

adolescent pregnancy risk because of their association with adolescent sexual intercourse

(Miller, Benson & Galbraith, 2001). Sexual communication with parent and child should

be consistent so that teenage pregnancy can be reduced.

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In the country of Ghana, there is very little knowledge on what happens to a

pregnant teen after childbirth. Numerous teens are doing unsafe abortion and early sexual

activities which cause the rising of early pregnancy (Gyesaw and Ankomah, 2013). Some

girls do not know how to avoid getting pregnant; this may be because sex education is

lacking in many countries. They may feel too inhibited or ashamed to seek contraception

services. Even when contraceptives are widely available, sexually active adolescent girls

are less likely to use them than adults. Girls may be unable to refuse unwanted sex or

resist coerced sex, which tends to be unprotected. Some easily point a finger to the

culture of young people as the ultimate culprit for the rising incidence of teen pregnancy.

Early pregnancy is an ongoing issue in the entire world. Although it is a typical concern,

not many individuals find it a problem; not until they are affected by the issue, or until

they understand that it has been expanding to a number of young individuals. This

ongoing dilemma is surely unplanned; therefore, people that are affected by this react to

this differently.

Teenage pregnancy is associated with poverty including low family income,

crowded community, semi squatter dwelling type and school disengagement. Prevalence

of family problems/conflicts includes ruptured relationship with parents, broken family

and limited parental guidance. Peer influences includes hanging out with wrong

barkadas, involvement in drinking sprawl and alcohol misuse. The consequences of

teenage pregnancy that the teenage mothers experienced are family problems including

financial problems, nourishment of the child and early responsibilities. They also

experienced discrimination acts like feedback about early pregnancy and topic of rumors.

Teenage mother’s unmet goals are to go abroad, to finish their studies and to support their
 15

family. The coping mechanisms of the teenage mothers are getting family support,

acceptance of the phenomenon, getting support from the husband’s family and finding

employment (Menesses & Saratan, 2015). However, even though poverty is not just the

only cause of teenage pregnancy since peer influence and family problem are one of the

causes, it is still ranked as the first reason of teenage pregnancy.

The Effects to a Mother of her Teenager’s Pregnancy

A teenager's pregnancy might reduce her mother's achievement expectations for

her other children. For example, the older daughter's early childbearing may demonstrate

to her parents’ inability to control their children's lives and life outcomes. Expectations

for their other children may yield accordingly if parents believe that they have little

control over their children's futures (East, 1999). Teenage pregnancy may allow a mother

to reduce their trust or their expectations regarding their pregnant daughter.

If a mother has just learned that her teen is having a baby, she’ll probably be

experiencing a wide range of emotions, from shock and disappointment to grief and

worry about the future. Some parents feel a sense of guilt, thinking that if only they have

done more to protect their child this would not have happened. And although some

parents are embarrassed by their teen's pregnancy and worried about how family, friends,

and neighbors will react, others are happy about the news of a soon-to-be grandchild —

especially if the teen is older and in a mature relationship (Dowshen, 2016). There are

many emotions that a mother may feel when learning about the pregnancy of her teenage

daughter. Some will differ from others such that they have different reactions and

opinions.
 16

A teenager’s pregnancy might reduce her mother’s achievement expectations for

her other children. For example, the older daughter’s early childbearing may demonstrate

to her parents their inability to control their children’s lives and life outcomes.

Expectations for their other children may yield accordingly if parents believe that they

have little control over their children’s futures (East, 1999). Teenage pregnancy may

allow a mother to reduce their trust or their expectations regarding their pregnant

daughter.

Early childbearing may be life-threatening to both the mother and the child.

Mothers younger than 17 face an increased risk of maternal mortality because their

bodies are not yet mature enough to bear children (Sherbinin, 2000; Guttmacher, 2010;

Yanagishita, 2002). Parental reactions to the news of a teen pregnancy include denial,

guilt and anger; emotions often shared by the pregnant teen. The young father and his

family can also experience similar feelings. Depending on the family’s religious beliefs

and social network, fear of being rejected or even ostracized can come into play. Many

parents of a pregnant adolescent perceive the situation as a negative reflection on their

own parenting skills. The pregnant teen can become depressed, which can also have a

negative impact on the family’s overall emotional well-being. On the positive side, many

families reach a point of acceptance, focusing their emotional energies on welcoming the

infant and helping the teenager move forward with her life and education after the birth

(Ezell, 2017). Mothers are the ones mostly affected and are mostly experiencing anger

and denial towards the adolescent and its partner.

The mother and father are not the only ones who often end up changing their

plans for the future. Teens are generally not financially independent which means
 17

grandparents are often filling the gap. This can mean grandparents may shift careers or

change their own education goals to help care for the new baby. This can also mean

money that grandparents had saved for things like retirement, emergency funds or to

tackle their own debt may now be used instead to help support the new baby. In the short

term, vacations, retirement and other goals may now take a backseat to help care for the

new baby. Until the recent healthcare reforms in the US, many insurance plans did not

extend maternity benefits and care to a dependent which was an unspoken surprise to

families as they struggle to pay for all of the new expenses for a new baby (Kristy, 2017).

The mother of the adolescent is usually the one doing the overall work for the pregnant

teen.

The teen and the baby may live with the grandparents while the new mom tries to

finish her education, providing part of the care while she attends school, studies, works

and socializes. Having a baby in the house can interrupt your social life if you provide

partial or total care for the baby, make sleeping difficult and create cramped quarters in

your home with the addition of baby furniture and paraphernalia. Some grandparents find

themselves hosting the baby and both teen parents, even if they aren’t married, further

complicating the living arrangements (Barr, 2017). Therefore, the adolescents are mostly

independent and are usually needing the help, care and support of their mothers.

There are also times the grandparents will step in to help a young teen mother

support and rise her child. If these grandparents also have additional children this can

create a mirror effect. Since the energy is now focused on the new baby, additional

siblings unintentionally copy their older siblings.

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An older daughter's early childbearing might act to increase her mother's

acceptance and tolerance of teenage sex and early non-marital childbearing. Teenage

parenting may be viewed with fewer stigmas and less disgrace by the teenager's parents.

Moreover, the daughter's early childbearing may signify to mothers the lack of real-life

options available to their daughter. As a result, mothers may rationalize their daughter's

teenage parenting as a reasonable and acceptable response to their disadvantaged

socioeconomic circumstances. Mothers of teenage daughters who become pregnant may

come to believe that early childbearing is not that bad after all (Guijarro, et al. 1999).

Hence, there can be instances when a mother positively accepts the pregnancy of her

teenage daughter.

An adolescent's early pregnancy might increase her mother's communication

about sex and contraception with her other children. For example, mothers might be

motivated to prevent a second pregnancy in the family and might view the older

daughter's pregnancy as an opportunity to discuss contraception and ways of preventing

pregnancy with their other children. Moreover, mothers may feel partly to blame for the

older daughter's pregnancy and may see their lack of open communication about sex and

birth control with the older daughter as one of the factors that possibly contributed to her

becoming pregnant. These feelings may compel the mother to discuss sexuality and

contraception more openly with her other children (East, 1999). Because of the lack of

sex education of mothers to their pregnant teenager, they are mostly blamed for the

situation that happened. Some girls do not know how to avoid getting pregnant; this may

be because of sex education is lacking in many countries. They may feel too inhibited or

ashamed to seek contraception services. Even when contraceptives are widely available,
 19

sexually active adolescent girls are less likely to use them than adults. Girls may be

unable to refuse unwanted sex or resist coerced sex, which tends to be unprotected.

It’s not every day that a mother’s teenage daughter tells her that she is pregnant.

That same teenage daughter you thought was only interested in cheerleading and getting

good results in school. That same teenage girl who only a few short few weeks ago told

you she is not interested in having a boyfriend. Hearing such life-changing news can be

overwhelming to hear. In this situation, if you are not excited about this news, it’s very

easy for the unhealthy emotion of anger to burst forth. In this situation you can go from

calm to angry and shocked in a fraction of a second. Your instant reaction might be to

proclaim how “stupid and irresponsible” she is, how “this is a massive mistake” and she

is “ruined her life;” let alone how you “never thought you’d do this to me!” But these

words would be best unsaid at this moment. This is really not the time for blame and

exclamations of your disappointment. Instead of exclaiming to her, a conversation might

be best saved for when you are both calm and have had time to process this new

information (Coster, 2013). When the daughter tells a parent or a mother that she is

pregnant, other parents would possibly get angry and mad. They would most possibly

consider the child as a mistake; but the best thing to do in the current situation is to be

calm and understand the intentions of the pregnant daughter.

Pregnancy can be one of the most difficult experiences a teenage girl ever faces.

Understand how to support your daughter as she deals with teenage pregnancy. Teenage

pregnancy is often a crisis for a young girl and her family, as well as the baby's father and

his family. Common reactions might include anger, guilt and denial. Your teen might also

experience anxiety, fear, shock and depression. In addition to talking to you, encourage
 20

your daughter to talk about the options with the father of the baby and his parents or

guardians, her health care provider, or a specialist in pregnancy counseling. Talking to a

psychologist or social worker might be helpful, too. Also, keep in mind that in some

states, a pregnant teen is considered to be an emancipated minor who has the right to

make her own decision about her pregnancy (Stevenson, 1999).Talk to your daughter

about what she is feeling and the choices ahead. She needs your love, guidance and

support now more than ever.

Roles of Parents

Early pregnancy calls for greater involvement of parents in early sex education.

The issue stems from the reluctance of parents to engage in sex education talks with their

children from an early age (Sukhnandan, 2014). Parents seem too uncomfortable to deal

with the issue leaving it to peers to tell them about it. Parents can actively involve in sex

education in a number of ways. It is advised that parents could talk to their child/children

as early as possible about sex and its consequences, be an open parent so that the child

could feel free to discuss sex-related issues.

Other ways of being involved include: being a parent with a point of view,

expressing views on how one feels about the topic at stake, and to implement rules so as

to establish a common ground. Teenagers can also play a vital role in reducing the

number of teenage pregnancies, by educating themselves about sex and its consequences

before engaging in sexual activities.

The role of the parents about the development of the children’s sexuality is also

emphasized as a factor in early sex-engagement. It needs to examine parental views to

explore the parent’s predictions and to gauge parental preferences. Parents in the study
 21

felt relatively knowledgeable and confident discussing sexuality topics with their child,

although they noted that there were topics they would not feel comfortable talking about.

The extent to which the parent felt knowledgeable and comfortable in educating their

child about sexuality and their use of effective parenting strategies were significantly

related to parental confidence. (Morawska, Walsh, Grabski & Fletcher, 2015). Parents are

not comfortable with discussing children’s sexuality but it helps parental confidence.

In the Philippines, some teenagers would have their first intimate sexual act

before marriage. It is more common among young adult women age 15 to 24 with less

education than among those with higher education (44 percent for women with

elementary education versus 21 percent for women with college education). Early

childbearing is also more common in Caraga and Cagayan Valley than other regions

(Natividad, 2012). Teenagers who have less educational background are more prone to

sexual intercourse than those with higher education.

Parent/kid closeness or connectedness, parental supervision or control of kids'

exercises, and guardians' qualities against teenager intercourse diminish the danger of

pre-adult pregnancy. To a great extent on account of methodological complexities,

research results about parent/tyke sexual correspondence and youthful pregnancy hazard

are exceptionally predictable. Dwelling in disordered/unsafe neighborhoods and in a

lower SES family, living with a solitary parent, having more seasoned sexually dynamic

kin or pregnant/child rearing high school sisters, and being a casualty of sexual

manhandle all place youngsters at lifted danger of juvenile pregnancy (Parkes,

Henderson, Wight, & Nixon, 2011). Closeness of parents to their kids has a role in

preventing early pregnancy.

 22

A few guardians are uncomfortable or reluctant to chat with their tyke about

sexual movement. Different guardians trust that discussing sex goes about as

authorization or energizes sexual action in their kids. These are myths for conversing

with your kids about sex does not urge them to wind up for them to become sexually

active. Another vital thing for guardians to recall is role modeling. A parent's conduct

ought to coordinate with their words. The "do as I say, not as I do" approach will greatly

affect adolescents who are watchful and consistent spectators of the grown-ups in their

lives (Miller, Benson & Galbraith, 2013). In the city of Cuenca, the views of parents of

the pregnant teens are given more light where four group discussions were formed along

with the parents of high school students. Parents are strict in sexual activities and are also

having the view of sex as very dangerous due to their traditional religious ideas (Jerves,

et. al., 2013). Guardians who are strict about sexual activities to the children may have a

positive effect of decision-making.

There are also many years of research about family, and particularly, parental

impacts on the danger of young people getting to be distinctly pregnant. As per the

Guttmacher Institute, adolescent pregnancy rates gradually declined start in the mid-

1990s. They achieved their lowest point in the late 1990s since they were initially

measured in the mid-1970s. Most of the decrease in teenage pregnancy rates were

because of more predictable contraceptive utilize; the rest was because of higher extents

of adolescents postponing sexual action. Be that as it may, surprisingly since the mid-

1990s, general teenage pregnancy rates expanded in 2006, rising 3%. It is too early to tell

whether this inversion is essentially a transient vacillation or the start of a long haul

increment.
 23

The peer of the adolescent who also experiences teenage pregnancy can offer a

more efficient support for she can fully understand the positive and negative experiences

of the teen than the friend with no experience. The study hypothesized that adolescents

would use the online message boards to ascertain friendship and to discover society

support. In the findings of this study, there is mostly positive support with the parents

than the peers. So the study concluded that the relationship with parents can have more

positive effect in terms of supporting the adolescent than the peers of the adolescent.

Adolescents would use these sites primarily to establish friendships and develop a

supportive community, rather than simply to solicit pregnancy-related advice

(Greenfields & Sherman, 2013). Fathers are important in their daughters growing-up

stage, especially on the teenage stage. Male involvement activities, benefits, barriers, and

proposed solutions for increasing male involvement during pregnancy were found out. A

confusion of interaction was established between father–daughter sexual communication

and viewing frequency (Alio, Lewis, Scarborough, Harris & Fiscella, 2013). Support

from parents is not only essential to the teenage daughter, but it also helps in giving

positive outcomes.

For some adolescents, pregnancy and childbirth are planned and wanted, but for

many they are not. Adolescent pregnancies are more likely in poor, uneducated and rural

communities. In some countries, becoming pregnant outside marriage is not uncommon.

By contrast, some girls may face social pressure to marry and, once married, to have

children. More than 30% of girls in low- and middle-income countries marry before they

are 18; around 14% before they are 15. Teenagers need proper counseling and support

from their families (Meneses & Saratan, 2015). Unwanted pregnancies to some teenagers
 24

bring not only challenges but also struggles. This means that she will need all the family

and social support.

Consequences of Early Pregnancy

Motherhood is a significant and important aspect of life for many women around

the globe. For women in communities where motherhood is highly desired, motherhood

is considered crucial to the woman’s identity. Teenage motherhood, occurring at a critical

developmental stage of teenagers’ lives, has been identified as having adverse social and

health consequences. Motherhood brings increased responsibilities, social recognition,

and a sense of purpose for young mothers. The young mothers indicated they received

good support from their mothers, siblings and close friends, but rarely from the father of

their baby and the wider community (Liamputtong, Michael &Watts, 2015). With the

start of motherhood, also starts a greater responsibility. A mother may have the support of

family and friends but rarely from the father.

At an early age, most teens in the Philippines are experiencing teenage pregnancy.

The consequences of being a pregnant teen are experiencing family problems including

financial problems, nourishment of the child and early responsibilities. Teenage births are

associated with lower annual income for the mother. Eighty percent of teen mothers must

rely on welfare at some point. They are more likely to drop out of school with only about

one-third of teen mothers obtain a high school diploma. Parenthood is an event that

radically affects the life of the mother. The demands of a child simply cannot be ignored

without risk. Thus, the timing of parenthood relative to other career lines is a major

concern. In this chapter we consider schooling, marriage, and employment as other

interdependent career lines and explore the interrelationships among events in these
 25

different domains. The ultimate test of the importance of timing and sequencing of events

is the economic circumstances of the individual at some later point in life, in particular,

own income, income of other family members, poverty status and welfare dependence

(Swierzewski, 2000). Because she is still a teenager, a pregnant daughter depends on her

mother. Hence, the mother of the pregnant teenager may have problems in sustaining

both her own children and the child of her daughter.

In the society of African-American women, motherhood is really genuine for

women. However, motherhood at a young age is a different story. Teenage pregnancy is

very crucial and problematic in the society nowadays. There are positive and mostly

negative effects of their pregnancy in their lives. Since the parents of the adolescents are

supporting them, they are still lucky and blessed.

Service providers and policy makers should support the role of the young

mothers’ own mother, sisters, their grandmothers and aunts following early motherhood.

Such support from significant females will help facilitate young mothers’ re-engagement

with education, work and other aspects of life. For young migrant mothers, this is

particularly important in order to facilitate settlement in a new country and reduce the

risk of subsequent mistimed pregnancies (Liamputtong, Michael & Watts, 2015).

Therefore, government agencies can help mothers and their teenage daughters in a way

by supporting different aspects of their needs.

Among pregnant youth, relationships with parents and romantic partners are

correlated with overall wellbeing. However, this relationship does not exist with friends.

Friends who have also experienced a pregnancy, however, may offer more effective

support than friends who have not. One way that pregnant and mothering adolescents can
 26

connect is through the online world. In communities where pregnant teens and teen

mothers are in the majority, messages are predominantly positive. The dynamics of these

message boards indicates the possibility that social support from other pregnant or

mothering teens may enhance the wellbeing of pregnant teens and explain why peer

“support” from teens who have not had this experience may often have a negative

influence on wellbeing.

The peer of the adolescent who also experienced teenage pregnancy can proffer a

more efficient support for she can fully understand the positive and negative experiences

of the teen than the friend with no experience. Adolescents would use the online world to

ascertain friendship and to discover society support. There is mostly positive support with

the parents than the peers. So the study concluded that the relationship with parents can

have more positive effect in terms of supporting the adolescent than the peers of the

adolescent (Greenfield & Sherman, 2013). Friend or social support can surely help a teen,

but the support of a family is more needed and essential during the pregnancy of the

teenager.

Early pregnancy does not only affect the life of the teenager herself but the lives

as well of the people around her. This includes her parents, friends, relatives, education

and many more. Early pregnancy is a dilemma that families face, perhaps due to lack of

educational attainment, poverty or sex education. Since families are engaging

grandparental systems, the mothers are now the ones taking care of the child in such

aspects like education, shelter, food and the essential aspects of emotion. A mother must

not only be able to sustain these for the welfare of her pregnant daughter and her

grandchild, but she must also be able to sustain for her own children and her husband.
 27

This only makes the responsibilities and the tasks of a mother more difficult than before.

This qualitative phenomenological research, therefore, aims to bring light to the

challenges of mothers of pregnant teenagers and the coping mechanisms that they

encountered in the hopes of contributing to the body of knowledge of mother in terms of

early pregnancy.
 28

CHAPTER II

METHODOLOGY

In this part of the study, the procedures and the processes on how the study was

conducted are presented. This includes the research design, respondents of the study, data

sources, data collection, data analysis, role of the researchers, trustworthiness, credibility,

transferability, dependability, conformability and ethical consideration.

Research Design

We discovered the experiences and the challenges of the participants of this study

by employing a qualitative research design anchored on the phenomenological tradition

(Creswell, 2008). The phenomenological qualitative design was focused on examining

the depths of human experiences through the descriptions provided by the people

involved. Qualitative phenomenological research tries to dig out how people construct a

meaning or understanding about their real experiences (Cohen, Manion & Marrison;

2000; Neuman, 2006; Oakley, 2005; Polit and Beck, 2006). As this is a qualitative

analysis, the methods to analyze the data were quite different from more traditional or

quantitative methods of research (Waters, 2016). The purpose of the phenomenological

approach is to identify phenomena through how they are perceived by the actors in a

situation. In the human sphere, this normally translates into gathering ‘deep’ information

perceptions (Lester, 1999).

 29

In this study, we accompanied the participants as they described their experiences,

challenges, and feelings during their daughter’s pregnancy. The researchers validated the

research questions to experts found in the school and created information consent for the

participants. After the casual interview was conducted, the researchers verified the

information given by the participants. In the qualitative study, the researchers used an in

depth description of the interview with the participant.

According to Husserl, lived experiences “signifies givenness of internal

consciousness, inward perceivedness” (Husserl, 1964). Furthermore, it is also free from

hypotheses or any preconceived notions (Husserl, 1970). Looking at the experiences of

individuals, one can draw out what they believe is true or real in their lives (Giorgi,

1997). The main aim of Phenomenology is “to reduce individual experiences with a

phenomenon to a description of the universal essence” (Creswell, 2007). This study,

subsequently, brought about depicting the encounters and the battles of those parents

whose teens are pregnant at an early age.

In this study, we accompanied the participants as they described their experiences,

challenges, and feelings during their daughter’s pregnancy. The researchers validated the

research questions to experts found in the school and created information consent for the

participants. After the casual interview was conducted, the researchers verified the

information given by the participants. In the qualitative study, the researchers used an in-

depth description of the interview with the participant. Suggestions were also accepted by

the researchers as the research continued to further improve it.

 30

Research Participants

The researchers guaranteed that the members of this study were the proposed

people who meet all requirements to the criteria set of this review. The inclusion criteria

of qualitative research will be the selected mothers who have daughter at an early age of

thirteen to eighteen years old. They are currently residing in Digos City, Davao del Sur

and are entailed to share their “real life" experiences. The exclusion criterion included

Fathers of pregnant teens, teens aged eighteen above or thirteen lower. This qualitative

research will exclude parents who do not reside in Digos City, Davao del Sur.

Data Sampling

Purposive sampling was used in our study since our participants were selected

based on particular criteria. Purposive sampling is widely used in qualitative research for

the identification and selection of case related to the phenomenon of interest. Although

there are several different purposive sampling strategies, typical case sampling will be

used in this study. Critical case sampling is a type of purposive sampling technique that is

particularly useful in exploratory qualitative research, research with limited resources, as

well as research where a single case can be decisive in explaining the phenomenon of

interest (Patton, 1990).

Data Sources

For the study, both primary and secondary data were used. The primary data that

were collected are from those parents whose daughter got pregnant at a young age. They

served as our participants and were our source for primary data. The secondary data that

were collected from our own research came from various valid sites which were accessed
 31

through the use of internet, such as Google Scholar. We also gathered or collected data

from the books in the library and from our previous assignments in research. Our primary

data were all about the struggles and challenges of the parents and the coping

mechanisms that they have gone through, themselves. The secondary data showed the

scale or rate of early pregnancy in our country and as well as in the whole world. The

primary and secondary data were completely collected and compiled to cover every

aspect of the study. The data that were used in combination as per need of this study;

these also have different merits and demerits and served our purpose of the research

study.

Data Collection

In this phenomenological research, we gathered information or data by using Key

Informant Interviews (KII) with eight (8) to ten (10) participants (Marich & Howell,

2015; Thelin, Lungdren & Hermansson, 2014). This type of method is much more useful

for this is a qualitative in-depth interview with people who know what is going on in the

community. The purpose of the key informant interviews is to collect information from a

wide range of people, including community leaders, professionals, or residents who have

first-hand knowledge about the community. We had three criteria for the participants in

using the KII. The participants should have the credibility, knowledgeability and

willingness to respond with us during the interview. Before conducting our interview, we

first sent a letter asking permission for an interview with our participant, and if possible,

we also consulted them after sending the letter. Before conducting the interview, we

assured the participants to have their identities confidential. If the permission would be
 32

granted, we set a time, date and place for the upcoming interview. This was for the

assurance of their safety and confidentiality.

Analysis and Interpretation of Data

For us to guarantee meticulousness in this qualitative study, we employed

Creswell’s (2007) steps in making a phenomenological qualitative study data

interpretation. The researchers analyzed the data by highlighting significant phrases,

sentences, quotes or statements that reflected the lived experience of the participants.

Mainly, we used thematic analysis which is the clustering of meaning. Thematic Analysis

is a widely-used qualitative data analysis method. It is one of a cluster of methods that

focus on identifying patterned meaning across a data set. Thematic Analysis is

theoretically-flexible. This means it can be used within different frameworks, to answer

quite different types of research question. It suits questions related to people’s

experiences, or people’s views and perceptions (Ugarriza, 2000). After we identified the

significant statements, the researchers grouped these statements into themes. Themes

bring meaning identity to a recurrent experience and its various manifestations (DeSantis,

2000). The data that was collected with mothers were analyzed in a similar way based on

a three-stage procedure: preparing the data for analysis by transcribing, reducing the data

into themes through a process of coding and representing the data (Colaizzi, 1978).

All the said data in the study were highly systematized from the respondents

during the personal interviews.

 33

Role of the Researchers

As a researcher, our competency to observe, converse and interview our

participants were meticulously demanded. When we conducted the interview, some of the

researchers were the interviewer, recorder, transcriber, translator, analyst, interpreter, and

the listener. The interviewer was entrusted to pay attention and compassionately respond

with the participants’ experiences and struggles regarding the mother whose child was

pregnant at a young age.

Trustworthiness

The trustworthiness of qualitative research generally is often questioned by

positivists, perhaps because their concepts of validity and reliability cannot be addressed

in the same way in naturalistic work (Shenton, 2004). To ensure the trustworthiness of

this study, we validated the interview guide questions to experts found in the school.

Since the topic of early pregnancy is quite sensitive, the researchers made sure that they

showed empathic behaviors, positive concern and acceptance to the participants. We, the

researchers, also showed patience and understanding throughout the whole interview.

Credibility

To ensure credibility, we validated the research guide questions to the experts in

our school. Besides this, we also started a prolonged engagement to the participants for us

to gain an acceptable understanding and to establish a relationship of trust between the

participants and the researchers. We also included the complete and exact narration of the

participants’ experiences and challenges and not just a brief statement. We verified the

statements of the participants to fill any gaps from the previous interview. Trust is an

important aspect of the member check process. We also accepted scrutiny by colleagues
 34

and experts. The fresh outlook enabled us refine our methods and develop a greater

explanation of the research design.

Transferability

According to Merriam (1996), transferability is the external validity that is

concerned with the extent to which the findings of one study can be applied to other

situations. The researchers made sure that we followed the proper procedure and

guidelines in conducting the qualitative research. We also made sure that the description

of the participants’ experiences was clear, in-depth and understandable.

Dependability

As a researcher, we showed positive regard to the parent who shared her

experiences toward her daughter’s pregnancy. In this research, we gave our trust and

sincerity to the participants as they narrated and relived their experiences with struggles

and difficulties. We also checked the consistency of the information that we gathered.

Confirmability

Qualitative research tends to assume that each researcher brings a unique

perspective to the study. Confirmability refers to the degree to which the results could be

confirmed or corroborated by others (Trochim, 2010). To observe objectivity in the

interpretation and analysis of data shared by the parents, the researchers kept the records

of the interview especially those that have signatures of the said participants. This was

done so that the reader can refer to those exact words of the participants. The researchers

also verified the interview records to the participants to satisfy confirmability.

 35

Ethical Consideration

There are many ethical challenges that have implications in doing qualitative

research because of the unpredictable nature of the study (Houghton, Casey, Shaw, &

Murphy, 2010). In our study, we dealt with the parents of teenagers who have been

impregnated at an early age which is a topic that is most likely sensitive to the

participants.

Informed Consent. The participants of the study received a consent letter to be

part of the research. The consent form contains the benefits, risks and information that of

the research so that the participant would be well-informed and knowledgeable of the

research.

Privacy and Confidentiality. We also ensured the participant to remain

‘Anonymous’. We made sure that the participants would be codenamed during the

recorded interviews, whereas the codenames would be used throughout the recording of

the whole research. The information that they gave to the researchers would be protected.

This would ensure privacy and confidentiality between the researchers and the

participants. The records of the participants were also safely hidden such that nobody

would have any access to them. If the participant felt uncomfortable during the interview,

we made adjustments to their own pleasure.

The researchers also established a supportive, sensitive and respectful relationship

with the participants, since we were dealing with real life experiences that were sensitive

to the participants. The statements mentioned above were strictly observed and the

researchers put into their mind that they were collecting data from people and about

them.
 36

CHAPTER III

RESULTS

After the conduct of the in-depth interview, data were collected through thematic

analysis. In this chapter, results are presented into two clusters according to their research

questions. First, the experiences and challenges of the mothers whose child was pregnant

at an early age were discussed. Second, the mothers discussed how they have overcome

the challenges they encountered when their child was pregnant at an early age.

The Challenges of the Mothers of Pregnant Teens

To discover the challenges of the mothers, sub-questions were asked. Specifically,

the questions were: feelings as a mother of a pregnant teen, pressure they have

experienced from relatives and friends, the struggles they have encountered as a mother

with a pregnant teen, the coping mechanisms they used in facing the pressure, and pieces

of advice that they can give to other mothers whose child was impregnated at an early

age. Seven themes emerged and these were: Emotional Distress, Criticism, Financial,

Shifting Attention, Taking Responsibility, Acceptance, and Disregard of Rumors.

Emotional Distress. Three out of nine informants had a hard time in accepting

the condition of their child. By their virtue that they are the mother, acceptance was

somewhat the only thing they could do. A participant expressed her feelings that when

she discovered her daughter was pregnant, she cried for a very long time for that was the

only thing that she could think of doing at that very moment (KI5, 1.1).
 37

Participants revealed that acceptance was too hard at first because of the fact that

they got pregnant at a very young age. Anger and worry were also present, having the

fact that they are still teenagers who may tend to be irresponsible at times. “Sobra pa sa

kasuko, Ako gyung gihilakan ug gikasaban jud nako siya. (More than angry, I really

cried and I really scolded her)”, one participant said, describing her feeling when she first

knew the pregnancy of her daughter (KI7, 1.1).

Another participant also revealed that she was angry because the man who

impregnated her daughter was a relative,” Suko kaayo ko oy, kay bata pa lagi. Mao pay

pag-college tapos lain kaayo kay paryente ra namo ang lalaki (I was really mad because

she was still young. She was just starting college and it was really disturbing because the

one who impregnated her was a relative)” (KI10, 1.1).

Criticism. One common experience of mothers of pregnant adolescents were the

rumors about them being irresponsible in taking care of their child. Mothers are often

blamed for not looking after their own children. “Bata pa kayo nabuntis. Sa akoa ang

impact, ang blame diri sa akoa kay tungod sa kabatan-on wala naatiman sa ginikanan

(Because the daughter is still a teenager, neighbors tend to put the blame on the mothers)”

(KI7, 1.2).

There was also another participant that stated that rumors were present but she

would rather not think of the problem and would rather think of something else. She

further explained why she does this, “Naa koy nadungog nga mga istorya pero gibalewala

nako kaydili man sila ang gagunit sa kaugmaon sa akong anak (I had heard stories but I

just ignored it because they aren’t the one who are raising my child or holding her

future)” (KI9,1.2). The participant explained that rumors are present, but it would be
 38

better to not think of it because neighbors or rumor-spreaders are not the ones raising her

daughter and holding her future.

Lastly, one participant stated that rumors and criticism were present because of

the fact that the couple are relatives, “Daghan sad ko ug nadungog na istorya. Grabeng

kasuko nako sa kaparyentihan kay gibuyag nama nsila sauna nya wala nipatuo (I also

heard many rumors. I was really mad at my relatives because I forced them to stop their

relationship because the both of them are relatives)” (KI10, 1.2).

Financial. Since the pregnant teenagers continue to reside within their family of

origin, mothers are employing grand parental childrearing systems, wherein the

adolescent's mother provides the primary hands-on care for the teen's child. Because of

this, most of the participants stated that they are the ones who also support for the

financial needs of the child and of the pregnancy of their daughter (KI2, 1.3, KI5, 1.3,

KI7, 1.3).

A participant shared that the mother of her daughter’s male partner would not

help in the financial needs of the pregnancy, “Problema kaayo kay kami raman nag

gastoato. Ang mama sa lalaki kay dili man managot (It was really a problem because we

were the only one who paid for the expenses. The mother of the boy didn’t take their

responsibility)” (KI2, 1.3). This means that the mother paid all the expenses without the

help from the boy’s side, making it harder for her as she is the one who is taking care of

her daughter and the child inside her.

Another participant stated that they had a financial problem during the birth of the

daughter’s child, “Katong pagpanganak niya kay ana ang doctor nga dapat i-cesarean siya

unya dili kaigo among kwarta (During her labor, the doctor said that she should deliver
 39

the child in a Cesarean section. It became a problem because our money was not

enough)” (KI5, 1.3). There were also problems during the pregnancy of the teenager

because of the state that she (daughter) had to undergo Cesarean. This also became a

problem to the mother as she was the one paying for the expenses.

Coping Mechanisms of the Mothers of Pregnant Teens

Shifting Attention. To cope up with the situation at hand, most mothers shifted

their attention to something else rather than think of their daughter’s pregnancy. Even

though they were still pained by the pregnancy of their daughter, they still managed to

live with it and it was by putting their attention to taking care of their other children, as

stated by some of the participants, “Hilak-hilak gyud ko oy, ako nalang gituon akong

atensyon sa uban nakong anak (I really cried, I just focused my attention to my other

kids)” (KI7, 2.1). Because she was still a mother to her other children, she put her

attention to them first, and this in return, helped her.

Another participant coped up with the situation by doing some of her work,

“Nadugayan gyud ko ug move on, sakit siya. Galimpyo-limpyo lang ko diris balay para

maulian (It took long for me to move on, it was painful. I just did some household chores

to take my mind off of it and help me be okay)” (KI6, 2.1).

Friends and family also came in the picture, as social interactions helped them to

vent out their feelings and forget the situation, even for a little while. Participants stated

that friends helped them cope up with the situation, “Nagsuroy-suroy nalang ko sa mga

silingan (I just went to my neighbors’ house)” (KI1, 2.1). One participant shared that she

just bonded with the community and just lived in the moment to forget about the

situation. “Gilingaw-lingaw ang kaugalingon nag tabang-tabang sa bayan ug gitabangan

 40

sa mga barkada (I didn’t mind the problem. I just lived in the moment to forget what

happens and bond with the community especially my friends)” (KI5, 2.1). Lastly, a

participant coped up because she also had help with family, “Gitabangan rako sa pamilya

tapos gi-settle ra namo sa pamilya (My family helped me the most and we settled it

among ourselves)” (KI10, 2.1).

Lastly, another participant also said that in order for her to cope with her

daughter’s pregnancy, she even encouraged her to continue her studies, “Para maulian ko

kay gi encourage nako siya na muskwela ug padayon (To cope up with the situation, I

encouraged her to continue studying)” (KI9, 2.1). This helped her as it became a

reassurance that her daughter will still finish her education even if she was impregnated

at an early age.

Insights of Participants to Parents whose Child was Impregnated at an Early Age

Take Responsibility. Their pregnant daughters are still teenagers. This means

that they will need all the help they can get in raising the child. This also means that they

should accept their daughter and the responsibilities that come with it. One participant

stated that there was always pain and anger in the beginning, but she still accepted the

responsibilities that came with being a mother, “Naa man mga ginikanan na masuko pero

dawaton kay atoang anak mana (Other parents would get mad but in my case, I would

just accept it because she is my child)” (KI1, 2.2).

A participant also stated that since it is her child, she would accept the

responsibilities and provide the emotional needs that her daughter requires, “Gidawat sa

dakong kasayun, responsibilidad man nako nga muatiman sa anak (I accepted it with a

big heart, it’s my responsibility to take care of my child)” (KI7, 2.2).

 41

Another participant also advised that they should be ready not only for the

emotional aspect of the daughter’s pregnancy but that parents should also be prepared for

the financial aspect, “Mangamdam jud sila para sa gastuhanan sa pagpanganak (They

need to be prepared for the upcoming expenses)” (KI2, 2.2). There are plenty of expenses

that come with the daughter’s pregnancy; from just the birth of the child, to providing

food and supporting for the education, one must surely be ready for the responsibilities

that come.

One participant also stated that parents must be practical, “Be practical.

Masakitan man ka pero dapat practical gyud kay masking unsa pay mahitabo sa imong

anak kung magpadala ka sa imong emosyon (Be practical. A mother would still be pained

by what will happen but she will need to be practical no matter what may happen.)”

(KI10, 2.2).

Acceptance. As a parent who takes care of her daughter and the child inside of

her, a mother should avoid scolding and must accept her daughter whole-heartedly, as

advised. (KI3, 2.2, KI9, 2.2).

Parents should first understand their daughter and why it happened before

scolding or getting mad at her. They must not jump to conclusions and first understand

her daughter’s point-of-view, “Pangutan-on sila ngano ngna in ana sila, dili kasab-an ug

padayonon pa ug paskwela (Ask them of what happened to them. They should not scold

them and just let them continue their studies)” (KI9, 2.2). She also stated that they should

also allow their daughter to continue studying after the pregnancy because it would be a

reassurance that her daughter would finish her education. It would also help the daughter
 42

in coping up with her pregnancy and would encourage her more to achieve her goals,

“Dili lang sila masuko sa bata (Well, they shouldn’t be angry with the child)” (KI3, 2.2).

Disregard Rumors. Rumors cannot be avoided to be heard especially when the

participant’s daughter is impregnated. It could surely affect and impact the mother

because of the negative effects it brings. The only thing a mother can do to help her with

the situation is to forget the rumors or the opinions of neighbors. One participant advised

that parents should not be affected by the rumors that they hear and that they should not

be shy of their community, “Dili maulaw sa katilingban kay mao ray maka daot sa

kaugmaon sa ilang anak (They shouldn’t be shy to the community or rumors because it

can only harm the future of their kids)” (KI9, 2.2).

Another also explained why parents should just forget or disregard rumors,

“Dapat sad na dili ka magpadala sa mga chismis kay makalain ug samot sa buot (She

should also forget about rumors and not listen to it because it will only cause a mother to

be sad even more)” (KI10, 2.2).

 43

CHAPTER IV

DISCUSSION

The result of the study delved into Challenges of the Mothers of Pregnant Teens,

their Coping Mechanisms, as well as their Insights to Parents whose Child was

Impregnated at an Early Age. To know more about the challenges of the mothers, sub-

questions were asked, specifically their feelings as a mother of a pregnant teen, the

pressure they have experienced from relatives and friends, the struggles they have

encountered as a mother with a pregnant teen, the coping mechanisms they used in facing

the pressure, and pieces of advice that they can give to other mothers whose child was

impregnated at an early age. In our study the most common struggles were:

Emotional Distress was the first thing that most of our participants felt when they

learned about their daughter’s situation. In this kind of circumstances, the mother is the

one who is greatly affected by the pregnancy of her child. All of the participants have

different reaction. Most of the parental reactions to the news of a teen pregnancy included

denial, guilt and anger. Emotions are often shared by the pregnant teen. A participant

revealed that when she discovered her daughter was pregnant, she cried for a very long

time for that was the only thing that she could think of doing at that very moment. Some

parents felt a sense of guilt, thinking that if only they had done more to protect their

child, this would not have happened. Many parents of a pregnant adolescent perceived

the situation as a negative reflection on their own parenting skills. (Ezell, 2010). Having

the fact that their daughter got pregnant when they were still on their supervision was
 44

somehow a mock on their parenting guidance. Being a mother means teaching your child

important rules and roles of life and learning how to be responsible of one's actions

(Diranian, 2015). Given the fact that their daughter got pregnant, mothers were deeply

bruised not only emotionally but also morally.

Criticism was also a common experience of mothers of pregnant adolescents

including rumors about them being irresponsible in taking care of their child. Many

parents of a pregnant adolescent perceived the situation as a negative reflection on their

own parenting skills (Ezell, 2010). Mothers are often blamed for not looking after their

own children. Being in a crowded community, gossips can easily be spread. The teenager

puts herself in a place where she is responsible not only for herself, but also for another

human (Nall, 2014). As a mother, her concern at the current moment is not only for her

nor her daughter but also for the unborn child. One of our participants stated that rumors

and criticism were present because of the fact that the man who got her daughter pregnant

is a relative.

Financial is also part of their struggle or challenge. With parents already having

the responsibility of taking care of their daughter’s child, maintaining a well-paying job

in order to gain financial stability is more complicated (Chiariello & Goldstein, 2016).

Since the pregnant teenagers are continuing to reside within their family of origin, most

of the participants stated that they were the ones who also support for the financial needs

of the child and of the pregnancy of their daughter. If the teenage would not receive some

financial support, they would be unable to develop work skills, find childcare and are

likely to live in poverty (Mikulak & Wolpert, 2013). A pregnant teen, therefore, will need
 45

all the help she can get from her family who will be her foundation of support, personal

teachers, counselors, and comforters (Loufbourrow, 2016).

They also differed in terms of coping mechanism in dealing with their problem.

Hence, having their daughter impregnated at a very young age is not planned and neither

a choice made by them, but as time passed by they learned to accept their situation.

Mothers of those pregnant adolescents managed to handle themselves in situations where

they were vulnerable. They developed coping mechanism. The coping mechanisms of the

teenage mothers were getting Family Support, Acceptance of the Phenomenon, Getting

Support from the Husband’s Family and Finding Employment (Menesses & Saratan,

2015). These mechanisms are very necessary for them to avoid negative emotional and

physical effect such as depression. Depressed persons elicit feelings of depression,

anxiety, and hostility in others with whom they interact (Gotlib & Meltzer, 1987).

Perhaps, not surprisingly, individuals have been found to withdraw from interaction with

depressed persons (cf. Gurtman, 1986; see Gotlib & Whiffen, 1991, for a more detailed

review of this literature). In this study, the participants said they have different forms of

escapism and defense.

Shifting Attention is part of their coping mechanism. To cope with the situation at

hand, most mothers shifted their attention to something else rather than think of their

daughter’s pregnancy. Even though they were still pained by the pregnancy of their

daughter, they still managed to live with it by putting their attention to taking care of their

other children, as stated by some of the participants. Other participants stated that friends

helped them in coping up with situation. Lastly, one participant also said that in order for

her to cope, encouraging her daughter to continue her study helped her to cope with the
 46

pregnancy of her daughter. The participants did not see their situation as a hindrance in

terms of education, because it demanded changes in the life style, dedication to studies or

work, with discipline and greater intensity and consequently, restriction to leisure

activities (Alvarez, Borges & Hoga, 2009). Because of this, a teenager’s normal course of

education is hindered and responsibilities are added. The teenager puts herself in a place

where she is responsible not only for herself, but also for another human (Nall, 2014).

Other participant, focus their attention in this matter rather than continuously

overthinking about their situation.

The following paragraphs are the insights of our participants to parents whose

child was impregnated at an early age. Parent who undergo the same situation can relate

to each other. They could help and give advice on how to overcome such situation related

to adolescent pregnancy risk because of their association with adolescent sexual

intercourse (Miller, Benson & Galbraith, 2001).

Taking responsibility is hard due to fact that pregnant daughters are still

teenagers. Being a mother means teaching your child important rules and roles of life,

learning how to be responsible of one's actions (Diranian, 2015). So they accepted their

daughter and the responsibilities that come with it. A pregnant teen, therefore, will need

all the help she can get from her family who will be her foundation of support, personal

teachers, counselors, and comforters (Loufbourrow, 2016). Family support can serve as

the foundation of security and growth for an expectant mother and baby and it has a

positive impact on the attitude of women with an unwanted pregnancy (Kafeel, 2015).

One participant stated that it is revealed that a mother’s work is doubled once the child is

born. These double parenting duties can be extensive and time consuming for the
 47

mothers. As a result, it would likely interfere with or distract the mother from monitoring

or supervising her own children (Burton, 2012). This simply implies that the impact

brought upon by early pregnancy now greatly affects the whole family.

Acceptance is a need as a parent who takes care of her daughter and the child

inside of her. Most of the participants mentioned that they learned to accept their

daughter despite being pregnant at an early age. A mother should avoid scolding and

must accept her daughter whole-heartedly, as advised. Many families reach a point of

acceptance, focusing their emotional energies on welcoming the infant and helping the

teenager move forward with her life and education after the birth (Ezell, 2017). Parents

should first understand their daughter and why it happened before scolding or getting

mad at her. They must not jump to conclusions and first understand her daughter’s point-

of-view. There would be negative effects if they would not accept their pregnant

daughter. Mothers of teenage daughters who become pregnant may come to believe that

early childbearing is not that bad after all (Guijarro et al., 1999). Hence, there can be

instances when a mother positively accepts the pregnancy of her teenage daughter.

Disregard rumors is also part of their escapism. When the participants’ daughter

was impregnated, no matter how hard they tried to block those rumors out of their

community or block the possibility for their daughters’ situation to be the talk of the

town, rumors would still find its way out through revelation. Disregarding rumors

prevents them from suffering an emotional crisis, depression or neglect of the baby

(Bodeeb, 2015). An impact and negative effect has been brought and it surely affects the

mother. Forgetting the rumors or the opinions of neighbors is the only thing a mother can

do to help her with the situation. And although some parents are embarrassed by their
 48

teen's pregnancy and are worried about how family, friends, and neighbors would react,

others are happy about the news of a soon-to-be grandchild — especially if the teen is

older and in a mature relationship (Dowshen, 2016). Not minding what other people will

say is a way for them not to feel sorry about their situation.

IMPLICATION OF THE STUDY

Teenage pregnancy is a problem in the family and in the society. Thus, being a

mother of a pregnant teen is a challenge and at the same time, a big responsibility.

Talking about the challenges of these mothers and dealing with the problems are hard.

However, coping with the situation is a must, so mothers have to face the challenges and

accept the fact that their child is also a mother at that moment. To be a mother of a

pregnant teen is not a reason to be depressed and to stop living. It is only a challenge and

a struggle. The experiences it brings can make them stronger and it can be an inspiration

to continue living. These facts may also fill in as a motivation to other mothers whose

daughter got impregnated at an early age. The individuals, who are in a similar

circumstance with our study participants may take after their recommendations as the

mother of pregnant teens. It is to accept the situation of their daughter’s pregnancy since

she is still their daughter. Accepting the problem can even create a more specialized bond

for the daughter and for the mother. It can mold them to be tougher, to accept reality and

to be stronger.

In any case, mothers have to know about their daughter's doings. For those

mothers whose daughter cannot thoroughly give the needs of their child since they are

still young, it is critical that the mother makes the effort to coordinate with her daughter

for them to be able to sustain and manage the child’s needs. Mothers may still have the
 49

connection with their daughters in order for them to assist the child and go about as

decent and accepting parents.

For future researchers, further studies can be done in the way of determining

challenges and coping mechanisms of the fathers towards their pregnant teenager. Future

researchers may also further determine more challenges and coping mechanisms of

mothers with pregnant teenagers.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

Same with the feelings and the experiences of mothers who have a pregnant teen

daughter in this study, it is not easy and fast to cope with the situation of having a

daughter who got impregnated at an early age. There are many challenges that would be

encountered, just like financial problems, rumors, and even emotional distress. As a

mother, these challenges must not be a hindrance in taking full responsibility of taking

care of the daughter and the soon-to-be grandchild. Mothers manage the situation when

they are vulnerable and they are able to develop coping mechanisms which help them

avoid negative outcomes. The results of the study further affirmed a similar study

conducted by Coster (2013). The study and the results stated that blame and exclamations

of your disappointment are not really the right thing to do during and even after hearing

the news. Instead of exclaiming to her, a conversation might be best saved for when you

are both calm and have had time to process the new information.
 50

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