EFFECT OF SPIRITUAL INTERVENTION ON STRESS MANAGEMENT AMONG STUDENT MOTHERS IN KENYAN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN KENYA: A CASE OF BUNGOMA COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

Internationally, teenage pregnancy has been recognized as a major pertinent issue. Lack of adequate family support affects the emotional well-being of the pregnant student mother as well as the unborn and/or the newborn baby. Furthermore, student motherhood hinders the chance of the student mother from completing her studies. In Kenya, teenage pregnancy thwarts achievements in the education of the girl child. The objective of this study was to establish the effect of spiritual intervention on stress management among student mothers in public secondary schools in Kimilili Sub-County, Bungoma County, Kenya. This study was guided by William Glasser’s Psychological Reality Theory on Maladaptive Behaviour. The study employed a cross-sectional research design. The target population was 5,069 Form three and Form four girls from public secondary schools in Kimilili Sub-County, Bungoma County, Kenya. The study also targeted 23 school Guidance and Counselling teachers as well as 23 school Chaplains. The sample size table proposed by Krejcie & Morgan, 1970 was used to obtain 381 female students from girls’ schools as well as mixed schools, 19 Guidance and Counselling teachers and 19 School Chaplains. Questionnaires and interview schedules were used to gather qualitative and quantitative data. The instruments used to collect data were piloted with the intention of establishing their validity and reliability using a Cronbach alpha value greater than 0.7, which is an indication of higher reliability. SPSS package version 23 was used to analyse both descriptive and inferential statistics. Presentations were done in frequencies and percentage tables. Descriptive data were analyzed using means, percentages, and standard deviations. Inferential data were analyzed using Pearson’s product-moment correlation coefficient (r). Spiritual counselling had a positive and significant effect on stress management (r=0.836, p<0.000). The study concluded that spiritual intervention has a significant effect on stress management among student mothers in public secondary schools in Kimilili sub-county, Bungoma County, Kenya. Consequently, this study recommends that schools should prioritize and enhance consistent pastoral support for student mothers. Also, there is a need for comprehensive sex education from parents, guidance and counselling teachers, school and religious leaders. Further, the study recommends that future studies be conducted on specific counselling approaches that prove most effective in managing stress among student mothers. Also, there is a need to consider further studies on factors contributing to teenage pregnancies among students in the region.

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