Perspectives of adolescent and young adults on poverty-related stressors: a qualitative study in Ghana, Malawi and Tanzania.

Objectives: To define key stressors experienced and coping behaviours within poor agrarian communities in sub-Saharan Africa.
Design: Descriptive qualitative study incorporating inductive thematic analysis.
Participants: 81 participants purposely sampled, stratified by age (adolescents and young adults) and sex SETTING: The study was conducted in villages in Ghana, Malawi, and Tanzania.
Results: Stressors were thematically grouped into those directly related to poverty and the lack of basic necessities (eg, food insecurity), and additional stressors (eg, drought) that worsen poverty-related stress. Impacts on functioning, health and well-being and key coping behaviours, both positive and negative, were identified. The findings together inform a more nuanced view of stress within these contexts.
Conclusion: Although participants were asked to provide general reflections about stress in their community, the salience of poverty-related stressors was ubiquitously reflected in respondents' responses. Poverty-related stressors affect development, well-being and gender-based violence. Future research should focus on interventions to alleviate poverty-related stress to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared.
(© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2019. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)