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The HERStory Series: Addressing the intersecting vulnerabilities in mental health and sexual and reproductive health amongst adolescent girls and young women in South Africa

HERStory Series

The HERStory Series: Addressing the intersecting vulnerabilities in mental health and sexual and reproductive health amongst adolescent girls and young women in South Africa

Summary

  • Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in South Africa face substantial social adversities and related mental health challenges due to a range of sexual and reproductive health (SRH), social, economic, environmental, physiological and interpersonal factors
  • AGYW vulnerability towards early pregnancy, HIV infection and poor mental health are bidirectional and interconnected
  • The social context in which South African AGYW are situated is characterised by a lack of social support, economic insecurity, and stigma - exacerbating gendered and age-related vulnerabilities of this population.
  • The interaction of socio-cultural, economic, structural, gendered, age-related and biological factors increase South African AGYW’s heightened risk of negative SRH outcomes, co-occurring with psychological distress and poor mental health
  • Despite the evidence of intersecting epidemics, mental health screening is not standard in HIV prevention and care settings and has not been added to the HIV care cascade.
  • As psychological distress is associated with increased risk behaviours, it is critical that efforts to address early pregnancy and HIV infection amongst AGYW incorporate mental health components.
  • Interventions to improve emotional wellbeing and coping mechanisms for AGYW are needed in order to improve sexual and reproductive health outcomes – especially in a context where
  • HIV, STIs, and early pregnancy are common, it is critical that such interventions are integrated into SRH services and part of large-scale programmes for AGYW.

View the complete Research Brief: Addressing the intersecting vulnerabilities in mental health and sexual and reproductive health amongst adolescent girls and young women in South Africa

The South African Medical Research Council’s strategic plan includes the generation of new knowledge and its translation into policy and practice. In the Health Systems Research Unit, our research aims to inform and support decision-making in health and social policy to strengthen health systems, and therefore improve the health of South Africans. We evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of care delivery models in communities, schools, and health facilities. To ensure relevance of our research, we apply implementation science principles and approaches, and engage and partner with Departments of Health at all levels of government, as well as with communities and other stakeholders. 

As a unit, we are developing research briefs based on manuscripts that have been published. Our intention is to disseminate key research findings to a broad audience, sharing the research briefs on multiple platforms to ensure wide reach, and work towards bridging the divide between academic research and the development of policy and practice. We aim to use these research briefs as a tool to summarise the key findings of recent studies, outline the implications for policy and practice in the South African context, and provide empirically based, practical, actionable information for policy makers, programme designers and implementers, practitioners, citizens and communities.

27 July 2022