Socio-cultural drivers and barriers to addressing repeat teenage pregnancies and early child /forced marriages in Central and Eastern Uganda

Abstract

With 25% of teenagers pregnant by age of 19 and about half of these married before their 18th birth day, Uganda exhibits one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancy and child marriage globally. Comprehensive data on the drivers and barriers to addressing repeat teenage pregnancies and early child marriages remains limited. Using the narrative inquiry approach, the paper explores the key socio-cultural drivers and barriers to addressing repeat teenage pregnancies and early/forced marriages among stakeholders in the districts of Mbale, Kween, Namayingo and Kalangala. Guided by purposive sampling, a total of 125 qualitative interviews (80 key informant interviews (KIIs) and 45 focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted. Data analysis was done using deductive thematic analysis in Atlas ti software. The drives of repeat teenage pregnancy (RPT) include the distorted community understanding of repeat teenage pregnancy; poverty at the household; norms, traditions and beliefs; cultural and traditional practices; lack of comprehensive sex education, school dropout, Peer pressure and influence, and vulnerable populations. The results point to a strong relationship between teenage pregnancy, early child/forced marriage and repeat teenage pregnancy across all the four districts and to poverty as the driving force.