Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Adolescents’ Sexual and Reproductive Health in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Abstract

Adolescents living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are struggling with accessing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, and COVID-19 has escalated the problem. The purpose of this review was to identify and assess the existing literature on the impact of the pandemic on SRH needs and access to services by adolescents in LMICs. A scoping review was conducted to collate findings on the topic. Searches were performed on eight databases. Data were extracted and categorized into various themes. After removing duplicates and performing a full-text reading of all articles, nine articles were included in our review. Our findings generated several themes related to adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health during the COVID-19 pandemic. These include (1) limited access to sexual and reproductive health services, (2) school closure and increased rate of early marriages, (3) sexual or intimate partner violence during COVID-19, (4) disruption in maternity care, (5) adolescents’ involvement in risky or exploitative work, (6) intervention to improve sexual and reproductive health services during COVID-19, and (7) policy development related to adolescent sexual and reproductive health. Several recommendations were made on policies—for instance, the use of telemedicine and community-based programs as a way to deliver SRH services to adolescents during and after a pandemic.

Predictors of COVID-19 Stress and COVID-19 Vaccination Acceptance among Adolescents in Ghana

“…That is, COVID-19 preventive strategies implemented to mitigate the spread of the virus, such as lockdowns, quarantines, and physical distancing, also implied that most face-to-face contacts and actual programmes had to be cancelled [23]. This strengthened the concerns that COVID-19 may contribute to the worsening mental health conditions of adolescents [23][24][25][26][27]. Even those who were healthy before COVID-19 were reported to have increased symptoms of depression and anxiety [28,29].…”

Interrupted Access to and Use of Family Planning Among Youth in a Community‐Based Service in Zimbabwe During the First Year of the COVID‐19 Pandemic

“…Studies focusing specifically on the impacts of COVID-19 on SRH in LMICs are scarce (Mukherjee et al 2021), and those on young people's SRH in LMICs remain limited (Seme et al 2021;Peters et al 2021;Meherali et al 2021). Our study adds to this body of knowledge and reflects how SRH is often sidelined and forgotten during crises.…”

“… 2021 ; Meherali et al. 2021 ). Our study adds to this body of knowledge and reflects how SRH is often sidelined and forgotten during crises.…”

The Impact of Prior Knowledge on Adolescents' Sexual and Reproductive Health Behavior Amidst the Covid-19 Pandemic: The Case of Kakamega County, Kenya

“…The Socio-Demographic Information of Adolescents is laid out in Table 1 below: Data were collected on the ASRH knowledge base and behavior from a cross-section of respondents in the shortest time available and within the COVID-19 Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) as laid out by the Ministry of Health (MOH) 2020 (Meherali et al, 2021).This was done cognizant of the various demographic parameters that are likely to influence the Knowledge and behavior of adolescents, such as parents' level of education and occupation, Faith of the family and the gender, age range, parenting or guardianship, and the kinds of schools (private or public) the adolescents attended (Arnet, 2014).…”