Voices of Care: Understanding the Parenting Experiences of Adolescent Mothers in Kenya

• In Event: Highlighted Session: Supporting Vulnerable Children and Youth: Family Disruption, Urban Marginality, and Educational Outcomes

Proposal

Abstract
Introduction: In Kenya, adolescent pregnancy remains a pressing issue, with these young mothers often lacking access to parenting resources, facing stigma, and exclusion from formal education systems, which compounds the developmental risks for their children. Adolescent parents may also have limited knowledge about child development and effective parenting skills, and they have developmental needs of their own. Subsequently, the children of adolescent parents may experience poor developmental outcomes. The Gender Transformative Skillful Parenting (GTSP) Program being implemented by the Investing in Children and their Societies (ICS SP). The program includes 12 weekly sessions facilitated by trained community workers employed by the government and covers topics such as emotional regulation, equitable parenting roles, and child stimulation techniques. The program targets adolescent mothers aged 15–24 years in Kakamega County in Kenya, with the overall goal of promoting positive early childhood development (ECD). It also seeks to advance positive gender roles and healthy gender equitable relationships from an early age, as well as parental mental health and well-being, and reduce child maltreatment. To evaluate the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of the GTSP program, the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) conducted an evaluation in two sub-counties of Kakamega County, Kenya. The study aimed to understand the lived experiences of adolescent caregivers, the role of extended family and community actors, and the systemic barriers that hinder effective parenting.
Methods: We conducted an evidence-based qualitative study in two sub-counties in Kakamega County, Kenya, with a purposive sample of participants that included adolescent mothers, grandparents, policy makers, community leaders and project staff. The data were collected through a total of 34 focus group discussions (FGDs), 23 In-depth interviews (IDIs) and 30 Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) and analyzed thematically. The sources of information guide every decision in data collection and analysis by ensuring that the methods were not only rigorous but also respectful, inclusive, and aligned with the realities of participants. The methods also allowed researchers to explore perceptions, behaviors, and challenges faced by adolescent mothers, grandparents, policymakers, and project staff, offering a comprehensive view of caregiving dynamics. Including adolescent mothers, grandparents, policymakers, and project staff allowed for triangulation of data, strengthening the validity of findings. Thematic coding was guided by the gender transformative approach, ensuring that power dynamics and gender norms were critically examined and that deep-rooted systemic barriers, discriminatory norms, and power imbalances that perpetuate gender inequality, rather than just addressing symptoms. This approach aims to create lasting, equitable systems by engaging men and women in critically examining and dismantling harmful gender roles and stereotypes, ultimately fostering environments where both genders have equal agency, opportunity, and control over resources.
Results: Adolescent mothers primarily focus on feeding, hygiene, and ensuring a safe environment for their children, with a gap in knowledge in emotional balance noted in how they care for their children. One adolescent mother shared, “I love my baby, but sometimes I don’t know how to make him stop crying. I just feel lost.’ “This sentiment was echoed across FGDs, highlighting a gap in emotional caregiving knowledge. However, project staff noted gaps in responsive caregiving, where young mothers struggle to apply bonding and attachment principles in practice. Policymakers emphasized the importance of maternal and postnatal healthcare service provision as well as strategies for economic empowerment as shared in this quote “I think a woman can be the best parent if she is empowered financially. What I have always said is that we should always work around the clock to empower these ladies or a women financially. We should not wait for them to depend on men. Depending on men could also lead to other vices such as abuse.” Grandparents, especially grandmothers, play a significant role in providing food and monitoring child health, despite financial constraints as captured in this quote, “I have a grandchild who is 2 years old, the most important thing and the difficult one is how to take care of the child, especially in terms of food, medication and even clothing. That's why I'll propose that it will be better if we have businesses that will support us in providing these basic needs.” Significant interruptions that adolescent mothers face to their schooling due to early parenthood, stigma, and rejection reflect systemic divisions that marginalize young caregivers, denying them access to education, which could be a stabilizing and peace-promoting force. Further, grandparents, especially grandmothers, emerged as critical peace agents as they provide food, monitor child health, and buffer against economic hardship as well as conflicts within the families when adolescent girls become pregnant and are chased away or rejected by the extended family and community. Policy makers at the government level reiterated that adolescent pregnancy is a challenge in the community as it puts the lives of pregnant adolescent girls at risk of conflict, especially with their fathers, but also within the wider community.
Conclusion: These findings highlight the need for comprehensive support services at the community leve,l which include the critical role of family members, particularly grandparent and fathers in caregiving. The findings reinforce the call for tailored interventions and policies that address the unique challenges faced by adolescent parents, which integrate the gender transformative approach into national adolescent strategies for caregiving of young children. The study underscores the urgent need for holistic, gender-transformative interventions that support adolescent parents in both physical and emotional caregiving. By highlighting the roles of family members, especially grandparents and fathers, and the gaps in responsive parenting, the findings advocate for inclusive, community-driven strategies that promote peaceful and holistic early childhood development, challenge harmful gender norms, and strengthen caregiver well-being. Integration of adolescent-friendly health, education, and social services into parenting programs and tailoring interventions that reflect the lived realities of adolescent caregivers are key to improving early childhood development outcomes, breaking cycles of disadvantage, and promoting peaceful communities.

Authors

• LINDA AWUOR OLOO, African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC)

• Silas Odhiambo Onyango, African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC)

• Margaret Nampijja, African Population and Health Reserach Center, Nairobi

• Nelson Kipkoech Langat, African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC)

• Patricia K Kitsao-Wekulo, African Population and Health Research Center