Background: Following the 2021 military coup in Myanmar, adolescent girls and young women have faced a multitude of threats to their health and wellbeing. Beyond direct exposure to armed combat, injuries and loss of life, they are also experiencing displacement, family separation, and restricted access to education and healthcare. These challenges are further compounded by military-imposed restrictions on humanitarian aid and access to the country. This study sought to address a critical gap in understanding how exposure to conflict in Myanmar is impacting adolescent girls' mental health.

Methods: We conducted a survey, co-developed with peer-researchers, with 750 girls and young women aged 10 to 21 years from disproportionately disadvantaged communities across Myanmar. The survey included questions on participants' demographics, their exposure to conflict-related stressors and their self-reported depressive symptoms.

Results: Participants reported widespread exposure to traumatic conflict-related stressors and high levels of depressive symptoms. There was a significant positive association between the number of different conflict-related stressors experienced by the study participants and the number of depressive symptoms reported. Additionally, participants who were living away from their parents reported significantly higher levels of depressive symptoms, emphasising the psychological implications of family separation during conflict.

Conclusions: Our results highlight the urgent need for tailored interventions for adolescents, particularly girls and young women, who are exposed to armed conflict. In contexts of protracted instability and uncertainty, such as in Myanmar, interventions should explore ways to foster a sense of social safety, especially among adolescent girls who are displaced or living away from their families. Strengthening social safety systems may help to reduce the adverse mental health impacts of conflict-related stressors.

Keywords: Adolescents; Children; Conflict; Gender; Mental Health; Wellbeing.

© 2025. The Author(s).

背景： 在2021年缅甸军事政变之后，少女和年轻女性面临着对其健康和福祉构成多方面威胁的状况。除了直接接触武装冲突、受伤和失去生命外，她们还面临流离失所、家庭分离以及教育和医疗服务受限的问题。这些挑战进一步因军方限制人道主义援助和进入该国而加剧。本研究旨在解决一个关键缺口，即了解缅甸冲突暴露如何影响少女的心理健康。

方法： 我们与同行研究人员合作开发了一份调查问卷，并对来自缅甸各个社区的750名10至21岁的女孩和年轻女性进行了调查。该调查包括参与者的人口统计学信息、她们接触冲突相关压力因素的情况以及她们自报的抑郁症状。

结果： 参与者报告了广泛接触到创伤性冲突相关的压力因素，并且有较高的抑郁症状水平。研究参与者的经历与报告的抑郁症状数量之间存在显著的正向关联。此外，那些远离父母生活的人表现出更高的抑郁症状水平，这强调了冲突期间家庭分离的心理影响。

结论： 我们的结果突显了为青少年（尤其是女孩和年轻女性）制定针对性干预措施的紧迫性，这些人群暴露于武装冲突中。在长期不稳定和不确定性的背景下，例如缅甸的情况，干预措施应探索如何培养一种社会安全感，特别是对于流离失所或与家人分开生活的少女群体。强化社会安全系统可能有助于减少与冲突相关压力因素的心理健康不利影响。

关键词： 青少年；儿童；冲突；性别；心理健康；福祉。