Determinants of Child Marriage and Its Related Adverse Health Outcomes Among Married Women in Sub-Region of Serejeka, Central Region in Eritrea: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background Child marriage is a fundamental violation of human rights that can have numerous adverse effects on girls’ social, mental and physical health and wellbeing. Marriage in Eritrea relatively occurs earlier for women. This study aimed to assess the magnitude of child marriage, determinants and its related adverse health outcomes in five selected villages of the sub-region of Serejeka in Central region of Eritrea. Methods An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among 200 married women aged 18 to 30 years who are residents of five selected villages of the sub-region of Serejeka between July 12 and August 20, 2018. The sampling design was stratified random sampling and data were collected using an interview-based questionnaire. Descriptive and analytical statistics including chi-square test and logistic regression were employed using SPSS (v.22). Results The prevalence of child marriage was found to be 42% [95% CI (35.1, 48.9)]. The maximum and minimum age at marriage were 14 and 29, respectively. No formal education/primary level (AOR = 22.08, 95% CI: 4.16, 117.24), junior educational level (AOR = 6.95, 95% CI: 3.48, 13.87) and decision on the marriage (AOR = 4.30, 95% CI: 1.03, 17.92) were the significant determinants of child marriage. Prolonged labour (OR = 2.81, 95% CI: 1. 32, 5.98), abortion (OR = 3.95, 95% CI: 1.63, 9.53), hemorrhage during birth (OR = 4.83, 95% CI: 1.68, 13.87), spousal violence (OR = 2.07, 95% CI: 1.15, 3.75), pressure/stress (OR = 4.83, 95% CI: 1.68, 13.87), termination of education (OR = 8.24, 95% CI: 4.35, 15.63) and stigma or isolation from their society (OR = 7.38, 95% CI: 3.03, 17.98) were significant adverse health outcomes associated with child marriage. Conclusion This study revealed that child marriage was still a common practice. It is associated with detrimental physical health, psychological well-being and socio-economic status. This mandates policy makers and program managers to focus their programs on delaying entry of children into wedlock and motherhood by providing information, education and enhancing communication with their community.

Trend, determinants, and future prospect of child marriage in the Amhara region, Ethiopia: a multivariate decomposition analysis

“…Child marriage substantially affects women's experiences of pregnancy and childbirth and the health of the women and their offspring. Prolonged labor, abortion, hemorrhage during birth, spousal violence, pressure or stress, and termination of education were identified among women who get married early ( 6 – 8 ). Child marriage also has a negative attribution to cervical cancer and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) due to the inability to negotiate safer sex ( 9 , 10 ).…”

“…In general, the World Bank outlined that by 2030, four trillion dollars will be lost due to child marriage (2). Studies from different continents indicated that educational status, residence, income level, employment status, family size, knowledge about legal marital age, and parental decision-making about when to get married were the most important determinants of child marriage (8,(11)(12)(13)(14).…”

Unveiling the Silent Suffering: Exploring the Lived Experience of Girl Child Marriage Victims and its Impact on their Education

“…Girl child marriage, defined as the union of a girl under the age of 18, remains a critical, pervasive, and concerning global issue with far-reaching consequences for the physical, emotional, and social well-being of young girls. Several research reports indicated that girlchild marriage or early marriage is prevalent in almost all countries in the world and that this practice is a violation of human rights and has negative implications on the girl child (ICRW, 2006;UNICEF, 2012;Word Bank, 2014;Mehari et al, 2023). Again, UNICEF's (2019) report highlights the prevalence of child marriage globally.…”