{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,4]],"date-time":"2026-05-04T08:09:47Z","timestamp":1777882187709,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":25,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,1]],"date-time":"2026-03-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1772323200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,1]],"date-time":"2026-03-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1772323200000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Palliat\ufffdCare"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,3]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Young adults living with chronic noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in Ghana face unique challenges that extend beyond physical and psychosocial suffering to include unmet sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs. Yet, SRH remains a neglected aspect of palliative and end-of-life (EoL) care in the country. This article explores why SRH needs are rarely discussed in palliative and EoL care settings. It also examines the factors contributing to the high-unmet need for SRH needs, the repercussions, and possible actions that can be implemented to elevate SRH as a core dimension of palliative and EoL care service provision in the Ghanaian\/African setting. The article argues that false assumptions, cultural barriers, policy gaps, and inadequate training contribute to the neglect of SRH in palliative and EoL care settings. The article identifies the following as strategies to surmount the identified barriers: integrating SRH as a core component of palliative care education in Ghana, developing a guideline or a protocol for assessing and handling SRH needs of young adults living with chronic NCDs, and adopting a person-centred approach when communicating about SRH matters. The article further highlights the potential of adopting the PLISSIT model as a practical framework to facilitate sensitive, structured discussions on sexuality in palliative settings.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/26323524261432746","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,14]],"date-time":"2026-03-14T01:47:57Z","timestamp":1773452877000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Too young to die, too silenced to love: Sexual and reproductive health of young adults receiving palliative and end-of-life care in Ghana"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"20","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4080-7522","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Joshua","family":"Okyere","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Human and Health Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate Campus, UK"},{"name":"College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Korle Bu, Ghana"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_2_2_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/eurjpc\/zwae281"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_3_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/CM9.0000000000003143"},{"issue":"1","key":"e_1_3_2_4_2","article-title":"Projections of lung cancer incidence by 2035 in 40 countries worldwide: population-based study","volume":"9","author":"Luo G","year":"2023","unstructured":"Luo G, Zhang Y, Etxeberria J, et al. Projections of lung cancer incidence by 2035 in 40 countries worldwide: population-based study. JMIR Public Health Surveill 2023; 9(1): e43651.","journal-title":"JMIR Public Health Surveill"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_5_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0281310"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_6_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s41043-025-00935-x"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_7_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ejca.2019.11.009"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_8_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12904-022-01040-0"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_9_2","first-page":"10","article-title":"How are palliative care services developing worldwide to address the unmet need for care","volume":"2","author":"Clark D","year":"2020","unstructured":"Clark D, Centeno C, Clelland D, Garralda E, L\u00f3pez-Fidalgo J, Downing J, Varghese C, Connor S. How are palliative care services developing worldwide to address the unmet need for care. U: Connor SR, ur Global Atlas of Palliative Care 2020; 2:10\u201316.","journal-title":"U: Connor SR, ur Global Atlas of Palliative Care"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_10_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.semarthrit.2018.10.020"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_11_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/jomf.12670"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_12_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.21037\/apm.2017.10.05"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_13_2","unstructured":"World Health Organisation. Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research (SRH): including the Human Reproduction Special Programme (HRP) https:\/\/www.who.int\/teams\/sexual-and-reproductive-health-and-research\/key-areas-of-work\/sexual-health\/defining-sexual-health (2025 accessed 10 January 2026)."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_14_2","unstructured":"Shrestha R. Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) SRHR. Public Health Notes https:\/\/publichealthnotes.com\/sexual-and-reproductive-health-srh-srhr\/ (2022 accessed 10 January 2026)."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_15_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12978-024-01935-6"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_16_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.34172\/hpp.42607"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_17_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1001\/jama.2016.21266"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_18_2","article-title":"The challenge of palliative care for adolescents and young adults","volume":"21","author":"Clarke AP.","year":"2015","unstructured":"Clarke AP. The challenge of palliative care for adolescents and young adults. Am J Manag Care 2015; 21: SP476\u2013SP477.","journal-title":"Am J Manag Care"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_19_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1191\/0269216303pm759oa"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_20_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/geront\/gny132"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_21_2","article-title":"Barriers to the integration of palliative care in Ghana: evidence from a tertiary health facility","volume":"17","author":"Okyere J","year":"2023","unstructured":"Okyere J, Kissah-Korsah K. Barriers to the integration of palliative care in Ghana: evidence from a tertiary health facility. Palliat Care Soc Pract 2023; 17: 26323524231179980.","journal-title":"Palliat Care Soc Pract"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_22_2","unstructured":"Ghana Health Service. National reproductive health service policy and standards https:\/\/platform.who.int\/docs\/default-source\/mca-documents\/policy-documents\/policy\/gha-cc-10-01-policy-2014-eng-national-reproductive-health-service-policy-and-standards.pdf (2014 accessed 10 January 2016)."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_23_2","unstructured":"Ghana Health Service. Adolescent health service policy and strategy (2016\u20132020). https:\/\/www.afro.who.int\/publications\/adolescent-health-service-policy-and-strategy-2016-2020 (accessed 10 January 2026)."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_24_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.12968\/bjon.2021.30.10.S24"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_25_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/jocn.15303"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_26_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s11912-015-0497-2"}],"container-title":["Palliative Care and Social Practice"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/26323524261432746","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1177\/26323524261432746","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/26323524261432746","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,1]],"date-time":"2026-05-01T01:04:44Z","timestamp":1777597484000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/26323524261432746"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,3]]},"references-count":25,"alternative-id":["10.1177\/26323524261432746"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/26323524261432746","relation":{},"ISSN":["2632-3524","2632-3524"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2632-3524","type":"print"},{"value":"2632-3524","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,3]]},"article-number":"26323524261432746"}}