Child marriage and psychological well-being in Niger and Ethiopia

Neetu A. John · Jeffrey Edmeades · Lydia Karuta Murithi

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Marriage and Family Dynamics Family Dynamics and Relationships Mental Health Treatment and Access

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Despite an understanding of the circumstances of child marriage, including how it limits agency and erodes childhood support systems, not much is known about the relationship between child marriage and mental health of child brides, especially in the sub-Saharan African context. To address this gap, we use large-scale population-based data from ever-married women aged 18-45 in Niger (n = 2764) and Ethiopia (n = 4149) to examine the association of child marriage with overall psychological well-being and its sub-domains: depression, anxiety, positive well-being, vitality, self-control and general health. We complement this with qualitative data from Ethiopia to further contextualize the psychological well-being of child brides. METHODS: Multivariate linear regressions were conducted to estimate the association between child marriage and overall psychological well-being and its sub-domains. Thematic qualitative analysis was conducted to further understand the lives of child brides. RESULTS: Our regression analysis found significant negative associations between very early marriage (marriage at 15 years or earlier) and overall psychological well-being in both Niger and Ethiopia. With the exception of self-control, all sub-domains of psychological well-being - depression, anxiety, positive well-being, vitality and general health - were negatively associated with very early marriage. In addition, in the qualitative analysis, Ethiopian child brides reported suffering emotional distress and depression induced by the burden of handling marital responsibilities at an early age. CONCLUSION: The study highlights that even in settings where child marriage is normative, marrying very early is associated with negative outcomes. Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms that make those married during early adolescence particularly vulnerable to psychological distress, so that programs can address those vulnerabilities.

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References

2005WHO Multi-country Study on Women's Health and Domestic Violence against Women: Initial Results on Prevalence, Health Outcomes and Women's Responses 2009Prevalence of child marriage and its effect on fertility and fertility-control outcomes of young women in India: a cross-sectional, observational study 2015Economic Impacts of Child Marriage: A Review of the Literature 2013Association Between Child Marriage and Reproductive Health Outcomes and Service Utilization: A Multi-Country Study From South Asia 2016marrying-too-young-end-child-marriage 2015Voice and agency: empowering women and girls for shared prosperity 2012Marriage and Mental Health among Young Adults 2014Voice and Agency: Empowering Women and Girls for Shared Prosperity

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