THE INFLUENCE OF PSYCHOSOCIAL INTERVENTION STRATEGIES FOR STRESS MANAGEMENT AMONG STUDENT MOTHERS IN KENYAN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN KIMILILI SUB-COUNTY, BUNGOMA COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

The global community has acknowledged adolescent pregnancies as a pressing issue. The adolescent mother, her unborn child and the infant all suffer emotionally when the teen is pregnant and does not have family support. In addition, it makes it less likely that a student mother would return to school or finish what she started. Teenage pregnancy in Kenya is a major barrier to girls' access to and completion of secondary school. Finding out how moms-to-be at public secondary schools in Kenya's Kimilili Sub-County, Bungoma County, deal with stress was the primary motivation for this research. The study set out to accomplish several specific goals. Firstly, it aimed to determine the level of stress among student mothers in public secondary schools in Kimilili Sub-County, Bungoma County, Kenya. Secondly, it sought to understand how counselling and social support affected stress management among these mothers. Lastly, it sought to understand how spiritual intervention affected stress management in these young mothers. Psychological Reality Theory on Maladaptive Behavior by William Glasser served as the guiding principle for this investigation. The research strategy used in the study was a cross-sectional exploratory one. The pragmatist paradigm was used in the study. Female students enrolled in public secondary schools in the Kimilili Sub-County of Bungoma County, Kenya, namely those in Forms 3 and 4, were the intended respondents. Additionally, 23 school Chaplains and Guidance and Counselling teachers were included in the study. The sample size was determined using the sample size formula published by Krejcie & Morgan, 1970. The participants included 381 female students from both mixed and girls' schools, 19 instructors of guidance and counselling, and 19 school chaplains. A purposive sampling technique was used in the investigation. To collect quantitative data, we utilized interview guides, and to get qualitative data, we employed questionnaires. The validity and reliability of the data collecting instruments were tested in a pilot study using Cronbach's alpha. Instrumental dependability is enhanced when the value is larger than 0.82. The SPSS software, version 23, was used for both descriptive and inferential statistics. A Pearson's product moment correlation coefficient (r) was used for inferential statistics, while percentages, standard deviations, and averages were used for descriptive statistics. The results of the study showed that student mothers experience significant positive high levels of stress (r=0.702, p< 0.000). The management of stress was positively and significantly impacted by counselling (r=0.836, p<0.000). In addition, a small but substantial positive correlation (r=0.374, p<0.000) exists between the impact of social support and stress management. Last but not least, a strong positive correlation (r=0.659, p<0.000) was found between the impact of spiritual intervention and stress management. Students' ability to cope with stress was shown to be significantly impacted by factors such as the prevalence of stress, access to counselling, social support, spiritual intervention and provision of social support in the Kimilili sub-county, Kenya, where the study was conducted. Therefore, the study suggests that schools should make counselling services more accessible and emphasize them so that student moms may better manage their stress. Furthermore, in order to reduce the stress that student mothers experience, it is imperative that school and church leaders, as well as parents and guardians, provide comprehensive sex education. The study goes on to suggest that researchers look at the causes of teen pregnancies in the area and whether there are any particular counselling techniques that help student mothers deal with stress.