Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38426029›Full record

ArticleSSM - population health2024

Age-disparate relationships at first sex and reproductive autonomy, empowerment, and sexual violence among adolescent girls and young women in Rwanda.

Jacqueline Kunesh, Rebecca Hémono, Emmyson Gatare, Laetitia Kayitesi, Laura Packel, Rebecca Hope, Sandra I McCoy

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in SSM - population health, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
4.2field-weighted citation impact, top 7% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Trial
  2. Article
  3. Stress-responsive biomarkers and sexual behaviors among young women in rural South Africa.Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine · 2025
    Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Jacqueline KuneshUniversity of California, Berkeley Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, 2121 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.
Rebecca HémonoUniversity of California, Berkeley Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, 2121 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.
Emmyson GatareFood and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Rome, Italy.
Laetitia KayitesiYouth Development Labs (YLabs), 3130 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, CA, 94705, USA.
Laura PackelUniversity of California, Berkeley Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, 2121 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.
Rebecca HopeYouth Development Labs (YLabs), 3130 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, CA, 94705, USA.
Sandra I McCoyUniversity of California, Berkeley Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, 2121 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.
University of California, Berkeley · USYouth Development Labs · USFood and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Age-disparate relationships (ADR) place adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) at higher risk of unprotected sex and HIV infection; few studies have investigated ADR at first sex in sub-Saharan Africa. This study investigates ADR at first sex and its association with reproductive autonomy, reproductive empowerment, contraception coercion, and consent at first sex among female Rwandan youth. Methods: Cross-sectional data from a randomized trial (n = 5768) of in-school youth ages 12-19 at enrollment were analyzed with focus on those who reported sexual activity (n = 1319). General estimating equation linear models and Poisson models were used to estimate linear coefficients and prevalence ratios (PR), with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) estimated using robust standard errors. Results: Females reported a significantly higher average partner age gap than males by 2.43 years (2.90 years vs. 0.46 years, 95% CI: 2.01, 2.86). Overall, 23.4% (n = 102) of sexually active AGYW engaged in an ADR at first sex. The prevalence of non-consensual first sex was 60% higher among AGYW reporting ADR at first sex compared to AGYW reporting similar-aged partners (adjusted PR = 1.59, 95% CI: 1.25, 2.02). No association was found between ADR at first sex and reproductive autonomy, reproductive empowerment, or contraception coercion. Conclusions: Our results suggest a high prevalence of sexual violence among AGYW engaging in first sex with an age-disparate partner. However, we did not find evidence that ADR at first sex affects reproductive autonomy or empowerment within the first few years of sexual initiation. Further research is needed to explore the impact of ADR at first sex and longer-term trajectories of sexual behavior, empowerment and autonomy.

Indexed as

Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW)Age-disparate relationships (ADR)RwandaSexual and reproductive health (SRH)Sexual debut

Identifiers

PMID38426029
PMCPMC10901839
OpenAlexW4391849912

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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 OpenQuestion graph.