Conceptualizations and Socio-Ecological Drivers of Childhood and Adolescent Vulnerability in Health Literature from Low- and Middle-Income Countries (2005-2025): A Scoping Review Protocol

Introduction Children and adolescents in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) face intersecting health challenges, yet the concept of "vulnerability" within health literature remains complex and inconsistently defined. While the term is widely used, conceptual work is concentrated in high-income contexts, with limited synthesis of how vulnerability is framed within the socio-ecological realities of LMICs. This scoping review aims to map and critically analyze how vulnerability among children and adolescents (0–18 years) has been conceptualised in health literature from LMICs between 2005 and 2025. Methods and Analysis The review will follow the Arksey and O’Malley (2005) framework for scoping reviews, and will be reported in line with the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). This study employs a mixed-methods design, using scoping review methodology to systematically identify and map the literature, and reflexive thematic analysis (RTA) to qualitatively analyze how vulnerability is conceptualized. Searches will be conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and APA PsycNet for English-language, peer-reviewed articles (2005–2025). The search strategy combines terms for children/adolescents and LMICs, with "vulnerab*" restricted to the title field. Screening and data charting will be conducted primarily by a single reviewer, with supervisor consultation. Data synthesis will involve descriptive statistics and RTA. Ethics and Dissemination Ethics approval is not required as the study involves analysis of published literature. Findings will be disseminated through manuscript publication.