Sue Mbaya & Associates (South Africa)

This study describes teenage mothers' quality of daily life in a South African rural setting. It is a retrospective study. It was conducted with five participant women aged between 26 and 35 years with early motherhood experience. In-depth interviews were conducted with the women in their local languages (i.e., Sepedi, Tshivenda, and Xitsonga). The data were thematically analyzed. Five lived experience themes were identified as follows: (a) decisions to enter motherhood early; (b) negative impact on social relationships; (c) emotional problems; (d) educational and occupational disruptions; and (e)lifestyle changes.