Peer Support Programmes in Kampala: An Analysis of Urban Youth Mental Health Initiatives in Uganda

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 $\text{logit}(p_i)=\beta_0+\beta^\top X_i$, and uncertainty reported using confidence-interval based inference.