Parental Influence on Teenage Pregnancy among Secondary School Students in Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya

Abstract

Education is a fundamental right that should be accessible to all members of the society. However, one of the major contemporary social problem confronting most African Countries in the world is the Teenage Pregnancy. Teenage pregnancy limits girls’ access to higher education in developed and developing countries. Teenage parenthood and pregnancy during adolescence are risk factors for school dropout. Despite the numerous interventions put in place to address the challenge of teenage pregnancy among secondary school students, this problem continues witnessed in Kenyan secondary schools, particularly in Tharaka Nithi County. The low effectiveness in combating teenage pregnancy can be attributed to many factors among them parental influence. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate parental influence on teenage pregnancy among secondary school students in Tharaka Nithi County. Descriptive research design adopted for the study. Data gathered from 15 secondary schools based on school categories using the Cluster sampling procedure. Clusters based on the school national ranking. The target population was 11,936 form three students in Public and Private secondary in schools in Tharaka Nithi, County. A sample size of 410 respondents comprising 30 teachers, and 380 students (300 girls and 80 boys) used. The instruments for data collection used were structured questionnaires and personal interviews. Pilot testing done in two schools in Meru County. The overall reliability coefficient of instruments using Cronbach’s alpha yielded 0.754. Data were analysis by use of descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (Chi-square). Data analysis undertaken with the help of the Statistical package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26.0 software. The study established that there is a strong positive significant influence of parental influence on teenage pregnancy among secondary school students in Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya. The study recommends that the National and Tharaka Nithi county governments should engage parents in workshops to train them on comprehensive sex education and provide them with educational materials and guidelines. The research findings of the present study can shed light on secondary schools administrators, the Ministry of education policymakers, teachers, parents, and other stakeholders on teenage pregnancy among secondary schools in Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya. This knowledge can inform appropriate measures to mitigate the parental influence on teenage pregnancies. The findings of this study add to the body of knowledge and act as a basis for further research.