Peer-reviewed article

Responding to sensitive survey questions on violence and sexual behavior: experiences of children and young people in two humanitarian settings in sub-saharan Africa

Francis Obare, Abir Nur, Yohannes Dibaba Wado, George Odwe, Dagim Fisseha Habteyesus et al. · 4 Feb 2026

Abstract

This study explored the experiences of children and young people in refugee settings in Uganda and Ethiopia with responding to sensitive survey questions on violence and sexual behaviour. Data were from cross-sectional representative household surveys conducted among 2265 13–24-year-olds in Uganda in 2022 and 3473 13–24-year-olds in Ethiopia from 2023–2024. Descriptive and weighted multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to explore variations in experiences of being upset, afraid of breach of privacy, stressed by certain questions, or finding participation in the survey unworthwhile. The proportion of participants reporting negative experiences with responding to the survey questions was low, ranging from 1% to 25% depending on indicator, context, sex, and age group. However, certain sub-groups were significantly more likely to be negatively affected than others. The findings underscored the importance of context-specific mitigation strategies to minimise any negative consequences sensitive survey questions may have on children and young people in humanitarian settings.