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Authors
Mathole, Thubelihle
Nicol, Jeannine Uwimana
Hlongwa, Mbuzeleni
Turawa, Eunice https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3722-1547
Basera, Wisdom https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4006-1858
Funani, Noluntu
Nicol, Edward https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6019-9259
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Funding
Funding for this research was provided by:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Cooperative Agreement Number: 1 NU2GGH002193-01-00)
National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa (Grant Number: TTK22052514472)
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Article History
Received: 25 June 2025
Accepted: 14 November 2025
First Online: 22 December 2025
Declarations
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: Ethical clearance for this project was sought from the South African Medical Research (SAMRC) Human Research Ethics Committee (Ref: EC051-11/2020). Gatekeeper approvals were also obtained from the districts, facilities, and collaborating Provincial Department of Health (Ref: KZ_202010_033).A waiver of parental consent was also granted by the SAMRC Human Research Ethics Committee for participants aged 15–17 to facilitate their involvement (Supplementary file 2), although the informed consent process and documentation were identical to those used for participants aged 18 and above.Prior to participation, all potential participants received both oral and written informed consent in line with the Declaration of Helsinki (1964). Confidentiality and privacy were strictly maintained by using study codes in place of participants’ personal information across all records. Audio recordings and transcripts were securely stored at the SAMRC in a password-protected file. Given the sensitive nature of the study, referral resources were provided to participants experiencing emotional distress during interviews. Interviewers also received weekly debriefing sessions to their well-being and address any challenges encountered during the study.
: Not Applicable.
: The authors declare no competing interests.
