Refugee Youth Parenthood in Uganda

There are knowledge gaps regarding the wellbeing of adolescent parents in humanitarian settings, particularly in relation to HIV vulnerabilities. We estimated associations between parenthood and sexual and mental health outcomes using baseline study data among refugee youth aged 16 to 24 in Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement, Uganda. We conducted unadjusted and adjusted logistic and linear regression analyses to examine associations between parenthood and sexual health, mental health, and protective factors. A third of the participants were pregnant and/or had at least one child. Mental health (depression, suicidal ideation, stigma) was lower among pregnant/parenting young mothers (vs. non-pregnant/parenting women). Condom use was significantly lower among pregnant/parenting youth. Tailored interventions are required to address these social and health disparities, particularly for refugee young mothers in humanitarian settings.