Cultural practices supporting early motherhood in a Ghanaian community

Abstract

Cultural practices help constitute a ‘normal’ way of life within a specific community and set the standard that members of the community are expected to adhere to. Some of these practices may have a short- and long-term influence on young people in ways supportive of teenage motherhood. This study explored cultural practices and beliefs in a study area in Ghana that encourage teenage girls into motherhood unintendedly. An exploratory design was used. Thirty teenage mothers and twenty-two opinion leaders participated in fieldwork conducted between October 2018 and February 2019. Data were analysed using an inductive approach. Four themes became apparent: fear of being cursed for having an abortion; sleeping arrangements; funerals and wakes; and practices of cohabitation in the study area. Cultural practices contribute to teenage motherhood in the Adaklu District of Ghana. Programmes, interventions and policies should be designed to take into consideration the needs, contexts, and backgrounds of teenagers. Future programmes to enhance teenagers ability to avoid teenage pregnancy and motherhood should consider factors such as the family, the person, the community, institutions, and national and international influences.

Keywords:

• Beliefs
• teenagers
• pregnancies
• rural area

Acknowledgements

We appreciate the participation of teenage mothers in this study and extend our gratitude to the Adaklu local authorities for graciously allowing us to conduct the research.

Disclosure statement

No conflicts of interest were reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The datasets used and/or analysed during this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

The research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.