Author Identifier (ORCID)
Abstract
This study examined coping strategies of young mothers raising children in urban slum communities in Accra, Ghana. Guided by Jack’s Ecological Influences Framework and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, interviews were conducted with 20 young mothers aged 18–35 in Old Fadama and African Eleven. The findings revealed five strategies: spiritual coping and religious reliance; adaptive food management strategies; psychological endurance and emotional regulation; community-based support networks; and informal financial management and credit utilization. Environmental stressors, including crime and social disorder, shaped mothers’ parenting experiences and created tensions in transmitting values to their children. These findings suggest that young mothers’ coping strategies are shaped not only by individual resilience but also by the social, economic, and environmental constraints of urban slum life, underscoring the need for integrated interventions that address these structural conditions.
Keywords
coping strategies, Ghana, parenting, slum, young mothers
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of Publication
1-1-2026
E-ISSN
15452298
ISSN
0145935X
Publication Title
Child & Youth Services
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
School
School of Arts and Humanities
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Brempong, P. N. A., Eduaful, S., Frimpong-Manso, K., & Afram, P. (2026). Raising children in precarious spaces: Coping strategies of young mothers in urban slums of Accra, Ghana. Child & Youth Services. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/0145935X.2026.2725210