From Risk to Resilience: Exploring the Lived Experiences of Adolescent Mothers in the Philippines

Adolescent pregnancy remains a significant public health and social concern in the Philippines, with consequences that extend across psychosocial, educational, economic, and maternal domains. This qualitative phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of adolescent mothers, focusing on their pathways to pregnancy, the challenges they encountered, their support systems, coping mechanisms, and the construction of resilience. Participants were adolescent mothers who experienced pregnancy during adolescence and voluntarily shared their experiences through semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s six-phase thematic analysis framework. Findings revealed that adolescent pregnancy was shaped by multiple intersecting factors, including risk-taking behaviors, peer influence, romantic attachment, limited parental monitoring, and gaps between reproductive health knowledge and actual behavior. Participants experienced fear, anxiety, social stigma, interrupted schooling, missed opportunities, financial dependence, and physical discomfort during pregnancy and early motherhood. Despite these challenges, adaptation was facilitated by family support, partner involvement, in-law assistance, healthcare services, spiritual coping, and child-centered motivation. Motherhood became a transformative experience through which participants developed responsibility, maturity, appreciation of parental guidance, renewed aspirations, and resilience amid adversity. The study highlights the need for comprehensive adolescent reproductive health programs, family-centered interventions, psychosocial support, and educational reintegration initiatives for adolescent mothers.