Coping strategies of school-going adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic in the climate vulnerable Manafwa watershed, Uganda

This resulted in significant academic setbacks for adolescents. The coping strategies employed by school-going adolescents in Uganda amidst the COVID-19 pandemic remain inadequately understood. A cross-sectional study was conducted from May 15th, 2023, to June 30th, 2023, on 762 school-going adolescents from government-aided secondary schools within the Manafwa watershed area. The adolescent version of the KidCope tool was used to evaluate adolescents' coping strategies. Factor analysis identified correlations among adolescents' coping strategies. Independent Samples t-Test and One-Way Variance of Analysis (ANOVA) was used for comparing the mean score differences of the coping strategies among the gender and adolescents' stages respectively. The majority of participants employed adaptive coping, followed by negative-emotion coping and avoidant coping. Females employed statistically higher resignation as a coping strategy compared to males. A higher proportion of middle-aged adolescents employed negative-emotion regulation. However, those in early adolescence significantly utilized distraction as a coping strategy more than those in middle adolescence. The study aimed to assess the coping strategies adopted by school-going adolescents in the Manafwa watershed, recognized as one of Uganda's most vulnerable regions, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings from this research will provide valuable insights essential for developing targeted crisis response plans for future pandemics and related disasters. The Manafwa watershed is one of the bigger watersheds on the slopes of Mountain Elgon in Eastern Uganda, constituting of three districts with a total population of 808,151 and a population density of 906 persons/km2. Of the school-going population, 40,442 (20%) are adolescents aged between 13 and 18 years. Manafwa watershed has approximately 40 secondary schools. The target population for this study was school-going adolescents aged between 10 and 18 years. Eligibility screening was conducted to ensure that participants met the inclusion criteria. The study aimed to provide valuable insights essential for developing targeted interventions and support mechanisms for adolescents facing unprecedented challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the education system in Uganda, with schools closed for nearly two years and school-going adolescents losing an enormous amount of study days. The immediate effects of this on school-going adolescents have been devastating, with about 30% of students unable to return to school and a surge in teenage pregnancies. The school-going adolescents' ability to advance to the next level of education was stunted, posing numerous challenges in young people's lives. When faced with such difficult circumstances, adolescents utilize certain coping strategies as regulatory processes aimed at mitigating the adverse emotional impacts of stressful situations. Scholars have identified various coping strategies, which are typically classified within either the "approach-or-avoidance" model or the emotion- or problem-focused coping model. Problem-focused coping involves practical actions like problem-solving and seeking support to directly address or resolve the stressor. This approach is often linked with positive outcomes such as improved academic performance.