About

Dr. Mahama is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, University of Ghana. She holds a PhD in Developmental Psychology from the Friedrich-Shiller-University, Germany, where she was awarded a doctoral Scholarship from the Free State of Thuringia. She is also an alumnus of the University of Ghana, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology in 2004 and an MPhil in Clinical Psychology in 2007. She started her academic career as an assistant lecturer in the Department and rose to the rank of Senior Lecturer in 2019. She has taught about twenty courses at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels and supervised about twenty graduate students and close to one hundred undergraduate students. She has published several research articles in reputable journals in the areas of cross-cultural perspectives of adolescent development, and the mechanisms underlying the transition to work of tertiary graduates among other research areas. She has consulted for organisations including CAMFED, Asante Gold Mining company and serves as external examiner for the Regent University of Science and Technology. 

Education

Ph.D. in Psychology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena                  2013     

Master of Philosophy in Psychology, University of Ghana, Legon  2007     

Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, University of Ghana, Legon       2004    

Research Interest

• Psychosocial Development in Adolescents and Youth Development.
• Youth Education - Work Transitions and their longitudinal outcomes
• Positive youth development in adolescence

Publications

Recent Publications

1. Mahama, S., Weichold, K., Fehmer, N., Mvungu, E. N. & Natsuaki, M. (2024). Pubertal status and body image: An inquiry into experiences of adolescents in Ghana and Kenya. Journal of Research on Adolescence, DOI: 10.1111/jora.12953. 
2. Weichold, K., Mahama, S., & Fehmer, N. (2023). Initiation ceremonies and rites of passage. In: Encyclopedia of Adolescence, Second Edition. Elsevier.
3. Biney-Aidoo, V., Senayah, W. K., Kuma-kpobee, M., Mahama, S., & Fianu, D. (2023). Development of Basic Blocks for Garments Using Anthropometric Data of Pre-teen Girls. In Technological Innovation Driving Sustainable Entrepreneurial Growth in Developing Nations (pp. 250-267). IGI Global.
4. Hapunda, G., Mahama, S., Mesurado, B., Verma, S. K. & Koller, S. (2019). Cultural variability and consistency in adolescents’ emotional regulation and relationship with their parents: Data from Argentina, Ghana, India and Zambia. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth (RADY). DOI: 10.1080/02673843.2018.1544083
5. Mahama, S., Tackie-Ofosu, V. & Nyarko, N.Y. (2018). Conceptions of adulthood: Perspectives from Ghana. IFE PsychologIA, 26(1) 234 – 253.