Identity, stigma, and resilience: psychosocial effects of emerging sexual awareness on early adolescents’ wellbeing in Ghana

This study explores the psychosocial effects of early sexual awareness among Ghanaian adolescents, focusing on how fear, guilt, stigma, and resilience influence identity development and well-being. Using a qualitative phenomenological approach, thirteen adolescents (seven girls and six boys) were purposively selected and interviewed to capture their lived emotional and moral experiences. Thematic analysis, guided by Erikson’s psychosocial theory, Bandura’s social learning theory, and Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, demonstrated that early sexual awareness triggers inner conflict as cultural and religious taboos turn curiosity into moral anxiety. Adolescents internalised disapproval through guilt and self-censorship, yet resilience emerged through reflection, prayer, learning, and selective silence, helping them preserve dignity within restrictive environments. The proposed Moral – Ecological Adaptation Model illustrates how adolescents negotiate identity within overlapping personal, social, and institutional constraints, advancing developmental theory and supporting psychosocially grounded, culturally sensitive sexuality education in Ghana.