“If your mother does not teach you, the world will…”: a qualitative study of parent-adolescent communication on sexual and reproductive health issues in Border districts of eastern Uganda

This qualitative study explores the facilitators and barriers to parent-adolescent communication about sexual and reproductive health (SRH) in the border districts of Busia and Tororo in Eastern Uganda. The study involved 8 Focus Group Discussions with parents and adolescents (10-17 years) and 25 key informants. Findings reveal that while parents are acknowledged as key communicators of SRH matters, few engage in such discussions. Facilitators include good parent-child relationships, closer mother-child bonds, and parental education. Barriers include cultural taboos, parents’ lack of knowledge, and busy work schedules. The study recommends engaging stakeholders to deconstruct sociocultural norms, developing parental capacity for SRH communication, and integrating parent-adolescent communication into parenting interventions.