Being an 'adolescent': The consequences of gendered risks for young people in rural Uganda

Sarah Bernays, Dominic Bukenya, Claire Thompson, Fatuma Ssembajja, Janet Seeley

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

6 Citations (Scopus)
31 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

The behaviour of adolescents is recognised increasingly as having substantial and long-term consequences for their health. We examined the meaning of 'adolescence' in southern Uganda with HIV-positive young people aged 11-24 years. Adolescent girls and boys are described differently in the local language (Luganda). Adolescence is described as a behavioural rather than a life course category and an inherently dangerous one. The practices, risks and consequences of 'adolescent' behaviour are highly gendered. Local understandings of adolescence are likely to have a significant impact on the efficacy of interventions designed to minimise their 'risky behaviour'.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)19-33
Number of pages15
JournalChildhood (Copenhagen, Denmark)
Volume25
Issue number1
Early online date25 Sept 2017
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2018

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