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Article History

Received: 17 October 2025

Accepted: 12 February 2026

First Online: 18 February 2026

Declarations

:

: Ethical approval was obtained from the Faculty of Medicine Research Committee (FRC) and Mbarara University of Science and Technology Research Ethics Committee (REC). Administrative clearance was obtained from the Hospital Director in order to conduct the study at MRRH. The study was registered with the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology. Informed consent was sought from the caretakers/ parents of participants and informed assent was sought from the participants for the In-depth interviews and audio recordings. In case of child dissent, it took precedence over the caretaker’s consent. This being a sensitive study, it was expected that negative emotions may arise during the interview, and in case this occurred, the interview would be stopped, and the participant would be given time to recover (one hour). If this would not happen, such a participant would be sent to a professional counsellor who was also part of the study team and would be asked to offer appropriate care to such a participant. This study adhered to the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki.

: Not applicable.

: The authors declare no competing interests.