ArticleBMC public health2025
Prevalence and comorbidity of mental health concerns, alcohol and drug use among young women in the urban slums of Kampala, Uganda: findings from the TOPOWA study.
Article in BMC public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Prevalence of mental disorders among young people living in urban slums of low- and middle- income countries: A systematic review and Meta-analysis.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2026Pooled it
- Stress-related salivary biomarkers - cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone, alpha amylase, and suicidal ideation among young women living in Kampala's informal settlements.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2026Article
- Young Women's Perspectives on Alcohol Environments in Urban Informal Settlements in Kampala, Uganda: An Exploratory Photovoice Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Using the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale to Assess Suicidality Among Young Women in the Urban Slums of Kampala Uganda: Baseline Findings from the TOPOWA Cohort Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Rethinking Urbanicity: Conceptualizing Neighborhood Effects on Women's Mental Health in Kampala's Urban Slums.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundYoung women in Kampala’s urban slums face a growing public health crisis as mental health issues and substance use escalate, fueled by poverty, violence, and limited access to care. These overlapping challenges significantly heighten the risks of suicide, premature mortality, and diminished quality of life. This study investigates the prevalence of mental health concerns, substance use, and their co-occurrence among this vulnerable population in Kampala, Uganda.
methodsData were drawn from the ongoing TOPOWA study, involving 300 women recruited via convenience sampling in 2023 from three study sites (i.e., Banda, Bwaise, and Makindye). Baseline assessments examined the prevalence and associations between mental health outcomes (i.e., anxiety, depression, suicidality), substance use (i.e., alcohol, drugs), and self-rated mental health (SRMH).
resultsDepression (57.7%) was the most prevalent mental health condition, followed by suicidality (46.0%) and anxiety (34.7%). The prevalence of alcohol and drug use were 27.7% and 10.7%, respectively. More than two-fifths (45.7%) reported multiple mental health conditions, which increased the likelihood of substance use. Low SRMH was significantly higher among women with anxiety, depression, suicidality, and drug use, although alcohol use alone was not significantly associated with low SRMH.
conclusionMental health concerns and comorbidity were commonly noted among the young women and were strongly associated with substance use. These findings highlight the need for integrated mental health interventions to address the complex challenges faced by young women in Kampala’s slums, and especially the impact of comorbidity on mental health satisfaction.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.