Communication Strategies For Mitigating Teenage Pregnancy And Educational Attrition Among Internally Displaced Girls In Logo LGA, Benue State, Nigeria
This study, titled Communication Strategies for Mitigating Teenage Pregnancy and Educational Attrition among Internally Displaced Girls in Logo LGA, Benue State, Nigeria, examined communication gaps and context-specific strategies for addressing teenage pregnancy and school discontinuation among displaced adolescent girls. Anchored on Communication Infrastructure Theory (CIT) propounded by Sandra J. Ball-Rokeach (2001), the study adopted a qualitative cross-sectional descriptive-analytical design. The population comprised internally displaced girls aged 12–19 years residing in selected IDP camps in Logo LGA. Given the absence of a reliable sampling frame and the fluidity of camp populations, purposive sampling guided by data saturation was employed; saturation was reached at eleven participants who met defined inclusion criteria. Data were generated through semi-structured, in-depth interviews, audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed thematically through open coding, axial categorization, and interpretive synthesis, with trustworthiness ensured via credibility, dependability, confirmability, and transferability protocols. Findings reveal that 100% of participants identified extreme poverty as a driver of vulnerability; 72.7% linked economic dependence to early pregnancy; and 90.9% reported stigma that suppresses open reproductive health dialogue. Communication flows were predominantly vertical, with 90.9% relying on block leaders and minimal peer-based counseling structures. Furthermore, 100% emphasized one-on-one counseling, 72.7% requested economic empowerment, and 36.4% prioritized educational sponsorship as protective mechanisms. The study concludes that communicative fragility intertwined with structural deprivation sustains vulnerability. It recommends structured SRH dialogue forums led by trained female counsellors, decentralization of camp communication through peer educators, and integrated girl-centered empowerment programs combining financial support, scholarships, and mentorship.

