Digital Commons Network^™

Challenges And Opportunities For Improving Access To Adolescent And Youth Sexual And Reproductive Health Services And Information In The Coastal Counties Of Kenya: A Qualitative Study., Evaline Chepchirchir Langat, Abdu Mohiddin, Flaura Kidere, Anisa Omar, Job Akuno, Violet Naanyu, Marleen Temmerman

Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health

Background: Globally, adolescents and youth experience high unmet need for sexual and reproductive health (SRH) information and services. In Kenya, evidence shows that more than half of teenage pregnancies are unintended and that half of all new HIV infections occur in people ages 15-24-year-olds, with the majority of those being female. The coastal counties in Kenya record a relatively high adolescent pregnancy rate and higher rates of unmet need for contraception for all women of reproductive age compared to the national average. This study focused on gaining a deeper understanding of the existing challenges to and opportunities for accessing SRH …

Making Cities Mental Health Friendly For Adolescents And Young Adults, Pamela Y. Collins, Moitreyee Sinha, Tessa Concepcion, George Patton, Thaisa Way, Layla Mccay, Augustina Mensa-Kwao, Helen Herrman, Evelyne De Leeuw, Lukoye Atwoli

Brain and Mind Institute

Urban life shapes the mental health of city dwellers, and although cities provide access to health, education and economic gain, urban environments are often detrimental to mental health1,2. Increasing urbanization over the next three decades will be accompanied by a growing population of children and adolescents living in cities3. Shaping the aspects of urban life that influence youth mental health could have an enormous impact on adolescent well-being and adult trajectories4. We invited a multidisciplinary, global group of researchers, practitioners, advocates and young people to complete sequential surveys to identify and prioritize the characteristics of a mental health-friendly city for …

The Knowledge And Attitude Regarding Pubertal Changes Among Adolescent Males In Urban Karachi, Pakistan, Sabah Muhammad Nazim

Theses & Dissertations

Background: Adolescence (the period between childhood and adulthood) is characterised by significant changes in bodily functions, along with psychological and cognitive growth. The unanticipated changes in that phase (especially related to sexuality) can cause adolescents embarrassment and distress, thus impacting their well-being and development.
Purpose: The study aimed to evaluate the level of knowledge and attitudes among male adolescents residing in urban Karachi, Pakistan, specifically concerning pubertal changes and health. The primary focus was to gather information about how well these adolescents understand the physical and emotional transformations associated with puberty and their overall awareness and attitude towards pubertal health …

Comparison Of Physical Activity Levels Among School-Age Adolescents In The Rural And Urban Areas Of District Swat Kpk, Pakistan- An Analytical Cross-Sectional Study, Imran Uddin

Theses & Dissertations

Background: Obesity and overweight represent significant global public health concerns. Young adolescents are in particular increasingly experiencing obesity and overweight due to their sedentary lifestyles, excessive electronic media use, and lack of physical activity (PA). This trend is linked to the development of non-communicable diseases in later life. Moreover, data regarding the lack of PA is available in Pakistan, but a gap exists in the comparative analysis of physical activity levels between rural and urban adolescents. Rural and urban areas exhibit distinctions in both geographical settings and technological advancements, potentially influencing the PA levels of their respective inhabitants.
Purpose: The …

Adolescent Hope And Optimism: A Scoping Review Of Measures And Their Psychometric Properties, Esther Chongwo, Ezra Too, Adam Mabrouk, Amina Abubakar

Institute for Human Development

There is much research examining adolescent hope and optimism, but there is limited information on the available measures, particularly the most frequently used measures and their psychometric properties. We conducted a scoping review to: (1) identify measures of hope and optimism for use among adolescents; (2) determine the most frequently used measures of adolescent hope and optimism; (3) document the psychometric properties of the identified measures. We searched five bibliographic databases and Open Grey for relevant articles published from database inception to 03 May 2023. The search included the key terms ‘adolescents’, ‘optimism’, ‘hope’ and ‘measures’. We targeted adolescents aged …

School-Based Study To Assess The Nutritional Status (Bmi Based) Of Adolescents Of Gojra City Of District Toba Tek Singh, Punjab, Pakistan, Shagufta Perveen, Rozina Karmaliani, Rubina Barolia, Rozina Mistry

School of Nursing & Midwifery

Adolescence is the make-or-break stage of life. Major physical, mental, and psychological growth takes place at this age. Adequate and balanced nutrition is a vital requirement to support this phase. Adolescents living in developing and low-income countries are more likely to face nutritional challenges. Poor nutritional status during adolescence is an important determinant of health outcomes.
Objective: To analyze the nutritional status (BMI based) of school-going adolescents in Gojra city, Punjab, Pakistan.
Methods: A school-based cross-sectional survey was carried out covering 635 (6-8 grade) school-going adolescents (boys and girls) from public schools in Gojra city. Data were collected through anthropometric …

Barriers And Facilitators To Anti-Retroviral Therapy Adherence Among Adolescents Aged 10 To 19 Years Living With Hiv In Sub-Saharan Africa: A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Londiwe D. Hlophe, Jacques L. Tamuzi, Constance Shumba, Peter S. Nyasulu

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Background: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) significantly affects adolescents globally, with the sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) reporting a high burden of the disease. HIV testing, treatment, and retention to care are low among adolescents. We conducted a mixed-method systematic review to assess anti-retroviral therapy (ART) adherence; barriers and facilitators to ART adherence and ART outcomes among adolescents living with HIV and on ART in sub-Saharan Africa.

Methods: We conducted searches in four scientific databases for studies conducted between 2010 and March 2022 to identify relevant primary studies. Studies were screened against inclusion criteria and assessed for quality, and data was …

Prevalence And Factors Associated With Teenage Pregnancy In Sierra Leone: Evidence From A Nationally Representative Demographic And Health Survey Of 2019, Lilian Nuwabaine, Quraish Sserwanja, Kassim Kamara, Milton W. Musaba

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Background: Globally, teenage pregnancy remains a public health concern because of the associated maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. To address the extensive social, political and economic effects of teenage pregnancy, there is a need for current epidemiological evidence on its prevalence and associated factors, especially from low-resource settings where the burden is highest.

Methods: We used data from the 2019 Sierra Leone Demographic and Health Survey (SLDH), which included 3,427 female adolescents. Multistage stratified sampling was used to select study participants. Teenage pregnancy was defined as those who had ever either had a child, or terminated a pregnancy, …

Psychometric Properties Of The Sindhi Version Of The Mood And Feelings Questionnaire (Mfq) In A Sample Of Early Adolescents Living In Rural Pakistan, Janavi Shetty, Florence Perquier, Susan C. Campisi, Yaqub Wasan, Madison Aitken, Daphne J. Korczak, Suneeta Monga, Sajid Bashir Soofi, Peter Szatmari, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta

Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health

There is a need for reliable and valid screening tools that assess depressive symptoms in adolescents in Pakistan. To address this need, the present study examined the psychometric properties and factor structure of a Sindhi-translated and adapted version of the child-report Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ-C) and the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (SMFQ-C) in a community sample of adolescents living in Matiari, Pakistan. Questionnaires were translated into Sindhi and administered by study psychologists to 1350 participants (52.3% female) 9.0 to 15.9 years old. Measurement structure was examined using confirmatory factor analysis. Internal consistency was estimated, and convergent and divergent …

Barriers To Anti-Retroviral Therapy Adherence Among Adolescents Aged 10 To 19 Years Living With Hiv In Sub-Saharan Africa: A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review Protocol, Londiwe D. Hlophe, Jacques L. Tamuzi, Constance Shumba, Peter S. Nyasulu

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Background: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence is fundamental in achieving viral load suppression and consequently attaining positive health outcomes among people living with HIV. However, ART adherence is sub-optimum among adolescents living with HIV (ALHIV) thus the high AIDS-related mortality even after World Health Organization (WHO) revised HIV treatment eligibility guidelines in 2010, 2013 and 2016. Consolidated trends of barriers to ART adherence among ALHIV aged 10 to 19 years in sub-Saharan countries post each eligibility guidelines revision to date are unknown.

Methods and analysis: We will conduct comprehensive search of peer-reviewed and grey literature databases publishing observational studies reporting data …

Mental Health Interventions For Adolescents In Sub-Saharan Africa: A Scoping Review, Adam Mabrouk, Gideon Mbithi1, Esther Chongwo, Ezra Too, Ahmed Sarki, Mary Namuguzi, Joseph Atukwatse, Derrick Ssewanyana, Amina Abubakar

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Background: Globally, adolescents are vulnerable to mental health problems, particularly those from sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) due to impoverished living conditions and a higher prevalence of chronic conditions such as HIV/AIDS in the region. The COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated this risk. This calls for an urgent need for evidence-based adolescent mental health interventions to reduce the risk and burden of mental health problems in SSA. The review aims to identify and characterize existing adolescent mental health interventions in SSA, as well as to evaluate their implementation strategies and effectiveness.

Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, African Index Medicus, PsycINFO, Web of …

Interventions For Prevention Of Non-Communicable Diseases Among Adolescents Living With Hiv: A Systematic Review, Eunice Ndirangu, Constance Shumba, Peter Gatiti, Bernard Mutwiri, Amina Abubakar

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

While the uptake of antiretroviral drugs has rapidly expanded among adolescents and adults living with HIV, research evidence suggests that people living with HIV have a higher risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). With more than 35% of the global burden of NCDs stemming from adolescence, there is a need to comprehend the existing evidence on early prevention, detection, and disease management, especially among the at-risk population. In line with the WHO Global Action Plan, 2013–2020 and “Best Buys”, recommendations on practical interventions for NCDs prevention, this systematic review seeks to synthesise evidence on the current interventions for preventing NCDs among …

Adolescent Connectedness: A Scoping Review Of Available Measures And Their Psychometric Properties, Ezra Too, Esther Chongwo, Adam Mabrouk, Amina Abubakar

Institute for Human Development

Introduction: Adolescent connectedness, a key component of positive youth development, is associated with various positive health outcomes. Several measures have been developed to assess this construct. However, no study has summarized data on the existing measures of adolescent connectedness. We conducted this scoping review to fill this gap. We specifically aimed to: (i) identify the existing measures of adolescent connectedness, (ii) determine the most frequently used measures among the identified measures, and (iii) summarize the psychometric properties of these measures with a keen interest in highlighting their cross-cultural utility and validity.

Methods: We searched CINAHL, Embase, PsycInfo, PubMed, …

Nutritional Status And Dietary Intake Of School-Age Children And Early Adolescents: Systematic Review In A Developing Country And Lessons For The Global Perspective, Durray Shahwar Abid Khan, Jai K. Das, Shagufta Zareen, Zohra S. Lassi, Afsah Salman, Muhammad Raashid, Aftab A. Dero, Aijaz Khanzada, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Background: The prevalence of double burden of malnutrition (DBM) is high in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Data on malnutrition trends is present for children age, however the data for school-going children and adolescents aged 5-15 years is scarce.
Objective: This systematic review presents the pooled prevalence of nutritional status and dietary intake among school-going children and adolescents (5-15 years of age) in an LMIC of Pakistan and the perspective for broader global nutrition in this age group.
Methods: An electronic search of databases was run on Pubmed and Medline (via Ovid) along with gray literature and archives of local …

Mental Health Problems And Service Gaps Experienced By Pregnant Adolescents And Young Women In Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review, Joan Mutahi, Anna Larsen, Pim Cuijpers, Stefan Swartling Peterson, Jurgen Unutzer, Mary Mckay, Grace John-Stewart, Teresa Jewell, John Kinuthia, Manasi Kumar

Brain and Mind Institute

Background: Pregnant adolescent girls and young women (AGYW, aged 12–24 years) are at high risk for mental health problems, particularly in the Sub-Saharan African (SSA) region.

Methods: We performed a systematic review of mental health studies among pregnant AGYW in SSA published between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2020 in PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, PsycInfo, and Global Index Medicus following PRISMA guidelines (PROSPERO: CRD42021230980). We used Bronfenbrenner's bioecological model to frame and synthesize results from included studies.

Findings: Our search yielded 945 articles from which 18 studies were included (N = 8 quantitative, N = 9 qualitative, …

Correlates Of Health-Related Quality Of Life In Primary Caregivers Of Perinatally Hiv Infected And Hiv Exposed Uninfected Adolescents At The Kenyan Coast, Patrick N. Mwangala, Derrick Ssewanyana, Paul Mwangi, Esther Chongwo, Carophine Nasambu, Vincent A. Kagonya, Gaia Scerif, Charles R. Newton, Amina Abubakar

Institute for Human Development

Background: Mothers and other primary caregivers play a crucial role in looking after perinatally HIV infected, and HIV exposed uninfected adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa. Day- to-day caregiving in the context of limited instrumen- tal support and added biomedical risk (HIV seropositivity) may expose these caregivers to adverse states of health. Unfortunately, very few studies have examined their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Our study documents the HRQoL profile, and associated factors in primary caregivers of perinatally HIV infected, perinatally HIV exposed but uninfected and HIV unexposed/uninfected adolescents aged 12–17 years at the Kenyan Coast.

Methods: This was a …

Routine Outcome Measurement In Adolescents Seeking Mental Health Services: Standardization Of Honosca In Kenyan Sample, Grace Nduku Wambua, Manasi Kumar, Fredrik Falkenström, Pim Cuijpers

Brain and Mind Institute

Abstract: Background The evaluation of treatment outcomes is important for service providers to assess if there is improvement or not. The Health of the Nation Outcome Scales for Children and Adolescents (HoNOSCA) was developed for this use in child and adolescent mental health services. Outcome measurement in routine mental health services is limited. This paper evaluates the psychometric properties of the self and clinician rated versions of the HoNOSCA for routine use in child and adolescent mental health services in Kenya.

Methods Using a prospective design, the clinician- and self-rated versions of the HoNOSCA and the Paediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC) …

Validity, Reliability, And Measurement Invariance Of An Adapted Short Version Of The Hiv Stigma Scale Among Perinatally Hiv Infected Adolescents At The Kenyan Coast, Stanley W. Wanjala, Derrick Ssewanyana, Patrick N. Mwangala, Carophine Nasambu, Esther Chongwo, Stanley Luchters, Charles R. J. C. Newton, Amina Abubakar

Population Health, East Africa

Background: There is a dearth of instruments that have been developed and validated for use with children living with HIV under the age of 17 years in the Kenyan context. We examined the psychometric properties and measurement invariance of a short version of the Berger HIV stigma scale administered to perinatally HIV-infected adolescents in a rural setting on the Kenyan coast.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 201 perinatally HIV-infected adolescents aged 12-17 years between November 2017 and October 2018. A short version of the Berger HIV stigma scale (HSS-40) containing twelve items (HSS-12) covering the four dimensions of …

Association Of Care Environment With Hiv Incidence And Death Among Orphaned, Separated, And Street-Connected Children And Adolescents In Western Kenya, Paula Braitstein, Allison Delong, David Ayuku, Mary Ott, Lukoye Atwoli, Omar Galárraga, Edwin Sang, Joseph Hogan

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Importance: In 2015, there were nearly 140 million orphaned children globally, particularly in low- and middle-income regions, and millions more for whom the street is central to their everyday lives. A total of 16.6 million children were orphaned because of deaths associated with HIV/AIDS, of whom 90% live in sub-Saharan Africa. Although most orphaned and separated children and adolescents in this region are cared for by extended family, the large number of children requiring care has produced a proliferation of institutional care. Few studies have investigated the association between care environment and physical health among orphaned and separated youths in …

The Double Burden Of Malnutrition And Associated Factors Among South Asian Adolescents: Findings From The Global School-Based Student Health Survey, Sara Estecha Querol, Romaina Iqbal, Laura Kudrna, Lena Al-Khudairy, Paramijit Gill

Community Health Sciences

The health and nutrition of the global adolescent population have been under-researched, in spite of its significant size (1.2 billion). This study investigates the prevalence and associated factors of malnutrition (stunting, thinness and overweight) among adolescents living in South Asia. The sample analysed was 24,053 South Asian schooled adolescents aged 12-15 years that participated in the cross-sectional Global School-Based Student Health Survey (GSHS) between 2009 and 2016. The prevalence of stunting, thinness and overweight was calculated using the World Health Organization (WHO) Child Growth Reference 2007. Associations between the three forms of malnutrition and their possible associated factors were assessed …

Risk Of Infection And Transmission Of Sars-Cov-2 Among Children And Adolescents In Households, Communities And Educational Settings: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Omar Irfan, Jiang Li, Kun Tang, Zhicheng Wang, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta

Woman and Child Health

Background: There is uncertainty with respect to SARS-CoV-2 transmission in children (0-19 years) with controversy on effectiveness of school-closures in controlling the pandemic. It is of equal importance to evaluate the risk of transmission in children who are often asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic carriers that may incidentally transmit SARS-CoV-2 in different settings. We conducted this review to assess transmission and risks for SARS-CoV-2 in children (by age-groups or grades) in community and educational-settings compared to adults.
Methods: Data for the review were retrieved from PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, WHO COVID-19 Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) Database, WanFang Database, Latin …

Longitudinal Association Between Parental-To-Child-Maltreatment And Self-Reported Generalized Anxiety Disorder Symptoms In Pakistani Adolescents, Maryam Pyar Ali Lakhdir, Ghazal Peerwani, Salman Muhammad Soomar, Apsara Ali, Salima Farooq, Naureen Akber Ali, Asif Khaliq, Muhammad Masood Kadir, Syed Iqbal Azam

Community Health Sciences

Background: Parent-to-child maltreatment is considered one of the risk factors for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) symptoms, but this hypothesis has not been adequately tested in Pakistani settings.
Aim: This study aimed to examine the association between parent-to-child maltreatment and the risk of developing GAD symptoms among adolescents.
Methods: The association of none to rare, occasionally, and frequently parent-to-child maltreatment with the incidence of GAD symptoms was investigated in a sample of 800 adolescents aged 11-17 years who were followed for two years. Parent-to-child maltreatment was assessed using ICAST-C (International child abuse screening tool). GAD Symptoms were determined by SCARED (Screen …

Inequalities In Early Marriage, Childbearing And Sexual Debut Among Adolescents In Sub-Saharan Africa, Dessalegn Y. Melesse, Réka M. Cane, Aveneni Mangombe, Macellina Y. Ijadunola, Adom Manu, Eniola Bamgboye, Abdu Mohiddin, Rornald M. Kananura, Elsie Akwara, Elsabé Du Plessis

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, East Africa

Background: Adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) is a major public health concern in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, inequalities in ASRH have received less attention than many other public health priority areas, in part due to limited data. In this study, we examine inequalities in key ASRH indicators.

Methods: We analyzed national household surveys from 37 countries in SSA, conducted during 1990–2018, to exam- ine trends and inequalities in adolescent behaviors related to early marriage, childbearing and sexual debut among adolescents using data from respondents 15–24 years. Survival analyses were conducted on each survey to obtain estimates for …

Child Maltreatment And Neglect In The United Arab Emirates And Relationship With Low Self-Esteem And Symptoms Of Depression, Syed M. Shah, Gul Nowshad, Fatima Al Dhaheri, Mariam H. Al-Shamsi, Alfan M. Al-Ketbi, Alaa Galadari, Priyam Joshi, Heba Bendak, Michal Grivna, Danilo Arnone

Department of Family Medicine

Objectives: To our knowledge, this study is the first in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to investigate the prevalence of child maltreatment in relation to depressive symptoms and self-esteem.
Study design: Exposure to physical maltreatment, emotional abuse and neglect was evaluated in 518 adolescents (86% response rate) randomly selected from schools in Al Ain in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The Rosenberg self-esteem scale and the Beck Depression Inventory were used to measure self-esteem and depressive symptoms by using multivariate logistic regression analyses.
Results: The mean age of study participants was 14.3 years. Emotional abuse was the most frequent form …

Mental Health Of Children And Adolescents Amidst Covid-19 And Past Pandemics: A Rapid Systematic Review, Salima Meherali, Neelam Punjani, Samantha Louie-Poon, Komal Abdul Rahim, Jai K. Das, Rehana A. Salam, Zohra S. Lassi

School of Nursing & Midwifery

Background: The COVID‑19 pandemic and associated public health measures have disrupted the lives of people around the world. It is already evident that the direct and indirect psychological and social effects of the COVID‑19 pandemic are insidious and affect the mental health of young children and adolescents now and will in the future. The aim and objectives of this knowledge-synthesis study were to identify the impact of the pandemic on children's and adolescent's mental health and to evaluate the effectiveness of different interventions employed during previous and the current pandemic to promote children's and adolescents' mental health.
Methodology: We conducted …

Non-Communicable Diseases Among Adolescents: Current Status, Determinants, Interventions And Policies, N Akseer, S Mehta, J Wigle, R Chera, Z J. Brickman, S Al-Gashm, B Sorichetti, A Vandermorris, D B. Hipgrave, N Schwalbe, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta

Woman and Child Health

Background: Addressing non-communicable disease (NCDs) is a global priority in the Sustainable Development Goals, especially for adolescents. However, existing literature on NCD burden, risk factors and determinants, and effective interventions and policies for targeting these diseases in adolescents, is limited. This study develops an evidence-based conceptual framework, and highlights pathways between risk factors and interventions to NCD development during adolescence (ages 10-19 years) and continuing into adulthood. Additionally, the epidemiologic profile of key NCD risk factors and outcomes among adolescents and preventative NCD policies/laws/legislations are examined, and a multivariable analysis is conducted to explore the determinants of NCDs among adolescents …

Clustering Of Health Risk Behaviors Among Adolescents In Kilifi, Kenya, A Rural Sub-Saharan African Setting, Derrick Ssewanyana, Amina Abubakar, Charles R. J. C. Newton, Mark Otiende, George Mochamah, Christopher Nyundo, David Walumbe, Gideon Nyutu, Aoife M. Doyle, David A. Ross

Institute for Human Development

Background: Adolescents tend to experience heightened vulnerability to risky and reckless behavior. Adolescents living in rural settings may often experience poverty and a host of risk factors which can increase their vulnerability to various forms of health risk behavior (HRB). Understanding HRB clustering and its underlying factors among adolescents is important for intervention planning and health promotion. This study examines the co-occurrence of injury and violence, substance use, hygiene, physical activity, and diet-related risk behaviors among adolescents in a rural setting on the Kenyan coast. Specifically, the study objectives were to identify clusters of HRB; based on five categories of …

Sleep And Its Relation With Academic Performance Among Adolescents: An Analytical Cross Sectional Study In Gulshan Town, Karachi, Zainab Mohammad Anjarwala, Niloufer Sultan Ali, Kashmira Nanji, Anum Arshad Beg, Veena Kumari Karmani

Department of Family Medicine

Objective: To determine the prevalence of sleep patterns and their relationship with academic performance among adolescents.
Methods: The analytical cross-sectional study was conducted from March to August 2015 in Gulshan Town of Karachi and comprised students in grades 6 to 8 who were selected from six government and private schools. Data was collected regarding their sleeping time, wake-up time, sleep latency and total sleep duration. Paediatric Daytime Sleepiness Scale was administered to calculate daytime sleepiness. Academic performance of students was taken from school academic records. Data was analysed using SPSS 22.
Results: Of the 440 subjects, 234 (53.2%) were boys …

Reliability And Validity Of The Rs14 In Orphaned And Separated Adolescents And Youths In Western Kenya, Sarah C. Sutherland, Harry S. Shannon, David Ayuku, David L. Streiner, Olli Saarela, Lukoye Atwoli, Paula Braitstein

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Purpose: The 14-item Resilience Scale (RS14) is a tool designed to measure psychological resilience. It has been used effectively in diverse populations. However, its applicability is largely unknown for Sub-Saharan adolescent populations and completely unknown for orphaned and separated adolescents and youths (OSAY), a highly vulnerable population for whom resilience may be critical. This study assesses the RS14's psychometric properties for OSAY in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya.

Methods: Survey responses from a representative sample of 1016 OSAY (51.3% female) aged 10-25 (mean = 16; SD = 3.5) living in institutional and home-based environments in Uasin Gishu County were analyzed. The …

Beyond Their Hiv Status: The Occurrence Of Multiple Health Risk Behavior Among Adolescents From A Rural Setting Of Sub-Saharan Africa, Derrick Ssewanyana, Charles R. Newton, Anneloes Van Baar, Amin S. Hassan, Alan Stein, H. Gerry Taylor, Fons Van De Vijver, Gaia Scerif, Amina Abubakar

Institute for Human Development

Background: Health risk behaviors during adolescence may cluster into patterns that might be predicted by specific factors, among which HIV may have an important role.

Method: In a cross-sectional study conducted between 2017 and 2018, clustering of HRB and its associated factors was investigated in rural Kenya among 588 adolescents (36% perinatally HIV infected; 28% perinatally HIV exposed but uninfected; and 36% HIV unexposed/uninfected). Latent class analysis of 22 behaviors followed by multinomial logistic regression were conducted. Four risk behavior classes were identified.

Results: No significant differences were found in behavioral class membership across the three HIV groups (p = …