Thai adolescent mothers: Perspectives on sexuality education and educational opportunities

Abstract

            This qualitative research aimed to answer the following questions: 1) What are the reasons behind Thai adolescents’ failure in contraceptive use, despite their school-based sexuality education and participation in teen pregnancy prevention activities? 2) What are the factors supporting Thai adolescent mothers continuance in education? Data were gathered by conducting in-depth interviews with twenty adolescent mothers from Nakhonsawan in 2018. Each respondent was younger than 19 years at the time of the interviews. Content analysis was then used to interpret the collected data. The result revealed that majority of the mothers reported their school-based sexuality education as being one-directional, and mainly taught using a lecture method. On the other hand, the out-of-class pregnancy prevention activities were regarded as enjoyable and participatory. Nevertheless, the failure to increase adolescents’ awareness of contraceptive methods persisted, consequently leading to unplanned pregnancies. Two out of the 20 adolescent mothers were able to continue studying while raising their children. However, this was with support from parents, teachers and peers. In this regard, collaborative planning between parents and teachers is necessary to support adolescent mothers’ education continuity. School-based sexuality education using a lecture method failed to enable the students to translate their knowledge into practice. Meanwhile, support from parents, teachers and peers formed a critical factor that endorsed the opportunity for adolescent mothers to continue their formal education.