TY - JOUR
T1 - Youth Relationships in the Era of COVID-19
T2 - A Mixed-Methods Study Among Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Kenya
AU - Karp, Celia
AU - Moreau, Caroline
AU - Sheehy, Grace
AU - Anjur-Dietrich, Selena
AU - Mbushi, Faith
AU - Muluve, Eva
AU - Mwanga, Daniel
AU - Nzioki, Mercy
AU - Pinchoff, Jessie
AU - Austrian, Karen
N1 - Funding Information:
Data for this study were collected through an Innovations for Poverty Action Peace & Recovery COVID-19 rapid response grant (grant MIT0019-X15) from the UK Department for International Development. The authors received no funding for data analysis or manuscript preparation.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine
PY - 2021/11
Y1 - 2021/11
N2 - Background: Measures to mitigate COVID-19's impact may inhibit development of healthy youth relationships, affecting partnership quality and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) outcomes. Methods: We conducted a mixed-methods study to understand how COVID-19 affected girls' and young women's relationships in Kenya. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression examined factors associated with relationship quality dynamics and SRH outcomes among 756 partnered adolescents aged 15–24 years. Qualitative data from in-depth interviews were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis to explore youth perceptions of how intimate relationships changed during COVID-19. Results: Nearly three-quarters of youth described changes in relationship quality since COVID-19 began, with 24% reporting worsening. Reduced time with partners was the strongest predictor of changed relationship quality. Youth experiencing complete or partial COVID-19-related household income loss had heightened risk of deteriorating partnerships (relative risk ratio = 2.43 and 2.02; p < .05); those whose relationships worsened were more likely to experience recent intimate partner violence, relative to no relationship change (20.8% vs. 3.5%; p < .001). Qualitative analysis revealed how COVID-19 mitigation measures hindered intimate relationships, school closures accelerated marriage timelines, and economic hardships strained relationships, while increasing early pregnancy risk and girls' financial dependency on their partners. Conclusions: COVID-19 disrupted adolescent girls' and young women's romantic relationships, depriving some of partner emotional support and exposing others to sexual violence, early pregnancy, and economically motivated transactional relationships. Increased social support systems, including access to psychosocial services, are needed in low-income communities in Kilifi, Kisumu, and Nairobi, in particular the informal settlement areas, to mitigate COVID-19's consequences on girls' SRH.
AB - Background: Measures to mitigate COVID-19's impact may inhibit development of healthy youth relationships, affecting partnership quality and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) outcomes. Methods: We conducted a mixed-methods study to understand how COVID-19 affected girls' and young women's relationships in Kenya. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression examined factors associated with relationship quality dynamics and SRH outcomes among 756 partnered adolescents aged 15–24 years. Qualitative data from in-depth interviews were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis to explore youth perceptions of how intimate relationships changed during COVID-19. Results: Nearly three-quarters of youth described changes in relationship quality since COVID-19 began, with 24% reporting worsening. Reduced time with partners was the strongest predictor of changed relationship quality. Youth experiencing complete or partial COVID-19-related household income loss had heightened risk of deteriorating partnerships (relative risk ratio = 2.43 and 2.02; p < .05); those whose relationships worsened were more likely to experience recent intimate partner violence, relative to no relationship change (20.8% vs. 3.5%; p < .001). Qualitative analysis revealed how COVID-19 mitigation measures hindered intimate relationships, school closures accelerated marriage timelines, and economic hardships strained relationships, while increasing early pregnancy risk and girls' financial dependency on their partners. Conclusions: COVID-19 disrupted adolescent girls' and young women's romantic relationships, depriving some of partner emotional support and exposing others to sexual violence, early pregnancy, and economically motivated transactional relationships. Increased social support systems, including access to psychosocial services, are needed in low-income communities in Kilifi, Kisumu, and Nairobi, in particular the informal settlement areas, to mitigate COVID-19's consequences on girls' SRH.
KW - Adolescent health
KW - COVID-19
KW - Contraception
KW - Intimate partner violence
KW - Relationship satisfaction
KW - Romantic relationships
KW - Sexual and reproductive health
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85113873050&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.07.017
DO - 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.07.017
M3 - Article
C2 - 34465510
AN - SCOPUS:85113873050
SN - 1054-139X
VL - 69
SP - 754
EP - 761
JO - Journal of Adolescent Health
JF - Journal of Adolescent Health
IS - 5
ER -