Policies, programmes and research on adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health in South Sudan: a systematic scoping review.

The systematic scoping review identified 52 eligible articles from an initial screen of 728, with grey literature outnumbering peer-reviewed sources.

• 728 articles were screened in total
• 52 articles were included in the final review
• 19 of the 52 included articles were peer-reviewed
• 33 of the 52 included articles were grey literature
• Databases searched included Medline, Embase, and Global Health, covering articles dated between 9 July 2011 and 13 July 2023

Research on adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health in South Sudan was largely focused on the experiences of adolescent girls and young women.

• Results were 'largely focused on the experiences of adolescent girls and young women'
• Sociocultural norms and economic challenges were identified as contributing to lack of access to SRH services for this group
• Increased risk of experiencing various forms of gender-based violence was a prominent theme
• Results were mapped across South Sudan and synthesised by key AYSRH thematic areas

Vulnerable subpopulations were excluded from research, policies, and programmes in South Sudan's AYSRH landscape.

• Identified excluded groups included very young adolescents, LGBTQ youth, and youth with disabilities
• The review covered adolescents and youth defined as ages 10–35
• Exclusion was noted across research, policies, and programmes simultaneously

Key thematic areas in adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health in South Sudan have not been adequately addressed in existing literature and programmes.

• Identified unaddressed areas include maternal mortality and morbidities, safe abortion, and tailored interventions for specific subgroups
• The review synthesised findings across overarching themes identified by the authors from extracted data
• Both peer-reviewed and grey literature sources were assessed for coverage of these thematic gaps

While some policies and programmes addressing adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health were identified in South Sudan, evidence of implementation and evaluation was lacking.

• 'Robust programme evaluation processes or evidence of follow-through or implementation of government strategies are lacking'
• A grey literature search was conducted using Google search engine and on the websites of key stakeholders to capture policy and programme documents
• The finding applied to both local and global SRH actors operating in South Sudan