Influence of Parental Socio-Cultural Status on Prevention of Teenage Pregnancies in Narok-North Sub-County, Narok County, Kenya

Abstract

Teenage pregnancy is detrimental to the wellbeing of teenage girls because of its negative impact on health, social and educational outcomes. Parents may encounter challenges that prevent them from helping their daughters in preventing pregnancies. Therefore, the study aimed to investigate influence of parental socio-cultural status on prevention of teenage pregnancies. The study was guided by the Social Network Theory. Descriptive Cross-Sectional Survey Design and Mixed Method approach directed the study. The target population of the research was 59,996 families in Narok-North Sub- County. Snowball sampling was applied to obtain a sample size of 165 families from the target population. Simple random sampling was applied to get 10 Key Informants. Data was collected using questionnaires and interview schedules. Internal consistency was calculated to test the reliability of the questionnaire with a reliability coefficient of 0.85. Validity was confirmed with the help of experts from the department and in training of Research Assistants. Data was examined by use of SPSS version 26.0. The Pearson Correlation test revealed that parental socio-cultural status has moderate and positive influence on prevention of teenage pregnancy (at P value <.05 Mean r = .54). Majority (82.6%) of respondents endorsed that cultural norms encourage early marriages. Majority (42.9%) of respondents endorsed that teenagers get into sexual relationships in order to meet basic needs. This aligns with the assumption of the Social Network Theory’s application to this study, that the family unit’s outcome in terms of teenage pregnancies is influenced by the cultural norms that surround the respondents. The Study therefore recommends that the Ministry of Interior and National Administration to strengthen policy aimed at curbing cultural practices that predispose teenage girls to pregnancies.