Strengthening Adolescent Resilience to Improve Sexual and reproductive hEalth (ARISE) Uganda (360G-Wellcome-331655_Z_25_Z)

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.