Document Type

Student Paper

Publication Date

Fall 10-27-2025

Disciplines

Public Health

Description, Abstract, or Artist's Statement

Abstract

Context:

In most countries, early pregnancies are one of the most public health issues, particularly in a developing country like Cambodia. This problem is leading those young mothers to face mental health breakdowns and limited socioeconomic opportunities. Beyond that, they also face the disruption of education and overall health risks in the long term. This research paper answers and delves into doubts related to the question: How does early pregnancy affect the mental health and future socioeconomic opportunities, including education, career prospects, and social mobility, of teenage mothers in Cambodia?

Methods:

This literature review focuses on psychological and socioeconomic effects on adolescent mothers in Cambodia: the mental health effect, education, and future socioeconomic opportunities. Key sources are from the report NGOs, UNFPA, and the research articles from databases like PubMed and Google Scholar to ensure this paper provides additional insights and context.

Results:

The study shows that lack of sex education, cultural norms, and healthcare barriers are the main causes of early pregnancy. Consequently, it affects young mothers' emotional and educational setbacks and also increases the high risk of health-related problems which makes an early pregnancy a great challenge. Nevertheless, this research paper identifies potential solutions such as implementing comprehensive sex education, improved community support, and developing maternal healthcare services. These solutions will share the burden of young mothers including their emotional, and social challenges, and financial pressure, and provide better future opportunities with career prospects.

Conclusion:

Overall, the findings reveal the importance of tackling both local and global factors that are currently contributing to early pregnancy. The insights would improve sex education programs, and access to healthcare centers in Cambodia. The suggestion of the implementation of culturally sensitive education and offering community support to teenage mothers would be helpful for the country. Future research should focus on planning the long-term impact of these solutions, investigating the role of media in promoting sex education even more deeply, the cultural influences on community engagement, and exploring the national policy to reduce the number of early pregnancies in Cambodia.

Download

Included in

Public Health Commons

Share

COinS