{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T18:02:35Z","timestamp":1785434555082,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":42,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1785369600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Scholarship"},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100010090","name":"Women and Children\u2019s Health Research Institute","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100010090","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"Delta Kappa Gamma World Fellowship"},{"name":"Divert Mental Health Fellowship"},{"name":"International Doctoral Research Award"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n                    <jats:title>Purpose<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study explored how adolescent mothers in Pakistan experience the transition to motherhood and the mental health challenges that arise during this period.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A focused ethnographic study was conducted with 25 adolescent mothers in Matiari, Sindh. Data were collected through semi\u2011structured interviews, participant observations, and artifact elicitation. Meleis\u2019 Transition Theory informed the study focus and development of the interview guide. Reflexive thematic analysis guided interpretation, informed by an intersectional lens.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n                    <jats:title>Findings<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Five themes described mothers\u2019 experiences: early educational disruption and redirected aspirations; continuous caregiving with uneven support; barriers to maternal healthcare access; emotional distress and psychological strain; and identity transformation. These intersecting challenges contributed to significant mental health strain and highlighted persistent gaps in access to supportive, adolescent-responsive maternal care.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Adolescent mothers navigate motherhood with substantial emotional and practical burdens yet demonstrate meaningful resilience. Findings highlight the need for adolescent\u2011responsive mental health support, accessible care, routine and confidential distress screening, referral pathways, and supportive educational and community\u2011based interventions tailored to underserved rural settings.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0355175","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T17:23:08Z","timestamp":1785432188000},"page":"e0355175","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Understanding the transition to motherhood among adolescent mothers in rural Pakistan: Implications for mental 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