Designing a Parenting Support Programme for Adolescent Mothers of Young Children in Rivers State

Adolescent mothers face compounded challenges in providing adequate early stimulation for their young children, and a professionally designed parenting support programme for this population in Rivers State addresses both maternal and child development needs in South South Nigeria. This study designed a parenting support programme for adolescent mothers of children aged 0 to 3 years in Port Harcourt City, Obio-Akpor, and Ikwerre Local Government Areas, Rivers State. A professional programme design methodology was applied, drawing on a needs assessment of 100 adolescent mothers at maternal and child health clinics, structured consultations with 12 social workers, 10 paediatric nurses, and 8 adolescent health specialists, and review of UNICEF and WHO adolescent parenting programme evidence. Needs assessment confirmed that adolescent mothers had significantly lower knowledge of age-appropriate stimulation activities (only 28 percent adequate) and higher parenting stress than adult mothers. The programme designed covers 16 weeks of weekly group sessions integrating adolescent-specific psychosocial support, responsive caregiving techniques, play and stimulation activities, nutrition and health management, and peer support network building. Facilitation is by trained social workers. Take-home activity packs for each developmental stage are included. Expert review by 10 specialists confirmed the programme's developmental and psychosocial soundness. Recommendations include delivery through Rivers State Ministry of Health adolescent health clinics, adolescent-sensitive facilitation training, and 12-month follow-up evaluation of child HOME scale scores.

Keywords: parenting support, adolescent mothers, Rivers State, early stimulation, child development