Social Capital and Reproductive Autonomy Among Adolescent Girls in Western Uganda: Perspectives of Key Stakeholders

Objectives Adolescent girls in low-income settings face major sexual and reproductive health challenges, including unintended pregnancies and HIV infections, partly due to limited reproductive autonomy. Although reproductive autonomy is influenced by social relationships and support systems, limited research has examined how different forms of social capital shape adolescent girls’ reproductive autonomy in sub-Saharan Africa. This study explored the role of social networks in enhancing the reproductive autonomy of adolescent girls in western Uganda through a social capital lens.Methods This qualitative study was conducted in Fort Portal city, between September and November 2024. Five focus group discussions involving 40 participants were conducted with parents, healthcare workers, community leaders, religious leaders, and school staff purposively selected. Data were analyzed thematically following Braun and Clarke’s six-step approach using NVivo 15.Findings Four interrelated themes emerged: parental and family engagement, supportive communication and structured sexuality education, protective and enabling systems, and economic and capability empowerment. Bonding social capital through families provided emotional support, guidance, and mediation, although communication on sexual and reproductive health remained constrained by cultural norms and fear. Bridging social capital from schools, religious leaders, and community actors enhanced access to sexual and reproductive health information, counseling, and life skills, but inconsistent sexuality education and conflicting messages limited informed decision-making. Linking social capital through health systems and community outreach improved access to adolescent-friendly services, although structural barriers and provider biases persisted. Economic and capability empowerment through financial support, vocational training, and sports reduced vulnerability to transactional sex and strengthened adolescents’ confidence and independence.Conclusion Reproductive autonomy among adolescent girls is socially embedded and shaped through interactions within the broader socioecology from which they draw social capital. Strengthening reproductive autonomy requires coordinated strategies that integrate supportive family relationships, structured sexuality education, adolescent-friendly services, and economic empowerment.