Lived Experiences, Social Support Systems, and Coping Mechanisms Among Parenting Adolescents With Depression in Southwestern Uganda: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study

Abstract

Background: Parenting during adolescence is associated with significant emotional, social, and economic challenges that increase vulnerability to depression and psychological distress. In sub-Saharan Africa, adolescent parents frequently experience stigma, school dropout, poverty, weak social support systems, and limited access to adolescent-friendly mental health services. However, limited qualitative evidence exists regarding the lived experiences of adolescent mothers and fathers with depression in Uganda. This study explored the lived experiences, social support systems, and coping mechanisms of parenting adolescents with depression in southwestern Uganda. Methods: A qualitative phenomenological study was conducted between March 2025 and January 2026 in selected health facilities and neighboring communities in Mbarara District, southwestern Uganda. Purposive sampling was used to recruit adolescent mothers and fathers aged 10-19 years with depressive symptoms, as well as key informants, including caregivers, community leaders, Village Health Team (VHT) members, and health workers. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and key informant interviews using semistructured interview guides. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, translated into English, and thematically analyzed using both deductive and inductive coding approaches supported by NVivo version 12.2 (QSR International Pty Ltd., Melbourne, VIC, Australia). Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory guided the interpretation of the findings. Results: A total of 33 participants were interviewed, including 12 (36.3%) adolescent mothers, six (18.2%) adolescent fathers, and 15 (45.5%) key informants. Three major thematic domains emerged: lived experiences, social support systems, and coping mechanisms. Parenting adolescents described significant emotional and psychological distress characterized by persistent worry, hopelessness, social isolation, and severe emotional pain. Depression was strongly linked to poverty, school dropout, unemployment, partner abandonment, stigma, and family rejection. Social support was obtained primarily from parents, grandparents, partners, health workers, and community leaders, although these support systems were inconsistent and often limited. Adolescents primarily relied on informal coping mechanisms, including prayer, peer support, casual labor, resilience, and acceptance of parenthood. Conclusion: Depression among parenting adolescents in southwestern Uganda is shaped by complex interactions among emotional distress, socioeconomic hardship, stigma, and limited psychosocial support systems. Strengthening adolescent-friendly mental health services, family support systems, community sensitization, educational reintegration, and economic empowerment programs may improve the psychosocial well-being of parenting adolescents