Social Work and Adolescent Pregnancy: An Analytical Study of Risk Environments and Outcomes in Akwa Ibom State

Adolescent pregnancy in Nigeria is simultaneously a consequence of gender inequality and a driver of educational exclusion, poverty, and poor maternal health outcomes, placing social work intervention at a critical policy juncture. This study analytically examines the risk environments associated with adolescent pregnancy and evaluates social work outcomes in Akwa Ibom State, South South Nigeria, focusing on communities in Uyo and Ikot Abasi local government areas. An explanatory mixed-method design combines a survey of 200 adolescent mothers with qualitative interviews of 25 social workers and healthcare providers. Multivariate logistic regression and thematic analysis are applied. The study finds that poverty, lack of comprehensive sexuality education, early marriage customs, and sexual coercion are the dominant risk factors for adolescent pregnancy in the study area. Social work interventions including school retention advocacy, antenatal psychosocial support, and family mediation are associated with improved social outcomes for adolescent mothers but are available to only a minority of those in need. Drawing on feminist social work and ecological frameworks, the study argues for a prevention-oriented social work model that addresses the structural determinants of adolescent pregnancy. Recommendations include integrating social work into adolescent reproductive health services, developing school-based prevention programmes co-facilitated by social workers, and advocating for legislative enforcement against child marriage. Keywords: adolescent pregnancy, social work, risk environments, Akwa Ibom State, feminist practice