African History of Medicine (Humanities perspective) | 08 February 2002
Peer Support Programmes in Kampala: An Analysis of Urban Youth Mental Health Initiatives in Uganda
N, a, n, c, y, N, a, b, i, r, y, e, ,, S, t, a, n, l, e, y, B, b, o, b, i, ,, J, a, m, e, s, O, k, e, l, l, o
Abstract
Urban youth mental health in Kampala, Uganda has seen a growing need for support services due to increasing stressors such as poverty and educational pressures. A content analysis approach was used to assess programme implementation, participant feedback, and outcomes over two years. Peer support groups reported a significant improvement in participants' self-esteem (mean increase by 20%) and social cohesion within the community (85% positive themes identified). Peer support programmes have shown promise in enhancing mental health among urban youth in Kampala, with notable improvements in emotional well-being. Further research should explore scalability of these interventions across different socio-economic settings and evaluate long-term impacts. Treatment effect was estimated with $\text{logit}(p<em>i)=\beta</em>0+\beta^\top X_i$, and uncertainty reported using confidence-interval based inference.