Adverse childhood experiences and associations with mental health, substance use, and violence perpetration among young adults in sub-Saharan Africa.

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can have debilitating effects on child well-being, with consequences persisting into adulthood. Most ACE studies have been conducted in high-income countries and show a graded relationship between multiple ACE exposures and adverse health outcomes. Less is known about the types and burden of ACEs in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

Adverse childhood experiences, HIV and sexual risk behaviors - Five sub-Saharan countries, 2018-2020.

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been shown to have negative, lasting effects on health including increasing the likelihood of engaging in sexual risk behaviors.

Objective: This study aimed to identify associations between exposures to ACEs and sexual risk behaviors and HIV service utilization among young people.

Participants And Setting: A sample of 8023 sexually active young people (19-24 year olds) from five sub-Saharan African countries participated Violence Against Children and Youth Surveys (VACS).

Parental absence as an adverse childhood experience among young adults in sub-Saharan Africa.

Background: Parental absence in childhood has been associated with multiple negative consequences, such as depression and anxiety in young adulthood.

Objective: To assess whether parental absence for six months or more in childhood is associated with poor mental health and substance use in young adulthood and whether parental absence accounts for additional variance beyond those explained by other adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) among youth in sub-Saharan Africa.

Participants And Settings: We used combined Violence Against Children and Youth Survey (VACS) data from Cote d'Ivoire (2018), Lesotho (2018), Kenya (2019), Namibia (2019), and Mozambique (2019).

Parenting-related positive childhood experiences, adverse childhood experiences, and mental health-Four sub-Saharan African countries.

Background: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are associated with poor mental health outcomes and risk-taking behaviors. Positive childhood experiences (PCEs) may mitigate these negative impacts.

Objective: This study 1) assessed the associations between ACEs and negative health outcomes and risk-taking behaviors among young adults, and 2) evaluated whether - and which - PCEs moderate the association between ACEs and these outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa.

Service-seeking behaviors among male victims of violence in five African countries: The effects of positive and adverse childhood experiences.

Background: Violence against boys and men is widely under-reported. Boys and men face unique and gendered barriers to accessing services following experiences of violence.

Participants And Setting: The study is a secondary data analysis of five nationally representative population-based Violence Against Children and Youth Surveys (VACS) conducted in Kenya (2019), Côte d'Ivoire (2018), Lesotho (2018), Mozambique (2019), and Namibia (2019).

Strong Father-Child Relationships and Other Positive Childhood Experiences, Adverse Childhood Experiences, and Sexual Risk Factors for HIV among Young Adults Aged 19-24 Years, Namibia, 2019: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Using cross-sectional data from the 2019 Namibia Violence Against Children and Youth Survey and sex-stratified multivariable models, we assessed the associations between four different positive childhood experiences (PCEs) and having ≥3 adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), including ≥3 ACE-PCE interaction terms, and seven sexual risk factors for HIV acquisition among young adults aged 19-24 years. One PCE, having a strong father-child relationship, was inversely associated with two risk factors among women (lifetime transactional sex (OR, 0.4; 95% CI, 0.

Understanding Gender-Based Violence Service Delivery in CDC-Supported Health Facilities: 15 Sub-Saharan African Countries, 2017-2021.

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a complex issue deeply rooted in social structures, making its eradication challenging. GBV increases the risk of HIV transmission and is a barrier to HIV testing, care, and treatment. Quality clinical services for GBV, which includes the provision of HIV postexposure prophylaxis (PEP), vary, and service delivery data are lacking.

Disclosure and help-seeking behaviors related to sexual and physical violence in childhood and adolescence: Results from the Namibia Violence Against Children and Youth Survey.

Background: Violence disclosure and help-seeking can mitigate adverse health effects associated with childhood violence, but little is known about facilitators and barriers of disclosure and help-seeking behaviors in sub-Saharan Africa.

Objective: To understand factors associated with disclosure and help-seeking to inform care.

Participants And Setting: Participants aged 13-24 years old in the 2019 Namibia Violence Against Children and Youth Survey (VACS).

Cycles of Violence Among Young Women in Namibia: Exploring the Links Between Childhood Violence and Adult Intimate Partner Violence From the Violence Against Children and Youth Survey.

: Violence against children is a global public health crisis and is associated with poor mental and physical health outcomes. Childhood violence may also increase the risk of subsequent violence revictimization by an intimate partner. We aimed to understand cycles of violence among adolescent girls and young women in Namibia to inform violence prevention and treatment interventions.

HIV Prevention Program Eligibility Among Adolescent Girls and Young Women - Namibia, 2019.

The U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) relies on comprehensive and reliable population data to implement interventions to reduce HIV transmission in high-incidence areas among populations disproportionately affected by the HIV epidemic.