Strengthening Adolescent Resilience to Improve Sexual and reproductive hEalth (ARISE) Uganda

This study will generate new evidence on how resilience—defined as positive adaptation despite adversity—shapes sexual and reproductive health (SRH) outcomes among Ugandan adolescents aged 10–19. In Uganda, where adolescents comprise a quarter of the population, rates of HIV, STIs, and unintended pregnancy remain among the highest globally, posing a critical and urgent public health challenge. Drawing on my experience leading research on gender, violence, and adolescent SRH across sub-Saharan Africa, this study applies the Candidacy Framework in a novel way to examine how resilience is shaped, enacted, and constrained across social and structural contexts. Shifting from risk-focused paradigms, it foregrounds adolescents’ strengths—across individual, relational, community, and structural levels—and how these interact with gender and context to influence SRH trajectories. A rigorous mixed-methods design—including longitudinal and cross-sectional surveys, biological testing, participatory approaches, and qualitative methods—will generate generalisable data and deep insight into lived experience. This integrative approach supports nuanced, dynamic analysis of resilience over time. A context-specific tool to measure resilience will be developed and validated, contributing conceptual and empirical innovation. Strong ethical safeguards, youth-led engagement, and collaborative partnerships will ensure cultural relevance and impact. Findings will inform scalable, equity-focused policy and programming aligned to Ugandan and global adolescent health priorities.