Differential Impacts of an Intimate Partner Violence Prevention Program Based on Child Marriage Status in Rural Côte d'Ivoire

Abstract

Purpose Little is known about whether effectiveness of intimate partner violence prevention programming varies for women who were married as child brides, given their additional social vulnerabilities. This subanalysis sought to assess treatment heterogeneity based on child marriage status for an intervention seeking to reduce intimate partner violence. Methods A randomized controlled trial assessing the incremental effectiveness of gender dialogue groups in addition to group savings on changing past-year intimate partner violence was conducted in Côte d’Ivoire (2010–2012). Stratified models were constructed based on child marriage status to assess for effect modification. Analysis was restricted to married women with data on age at marriage (n=682). Results For child brides (N = 202), there were no statistically or marginally significant decreases in physical and/or sexual violence, physical violence, or sexual violence. The odds of reporting economic abuse in the past year were lower in the intervention arm for child brides relative to control group child brides (odds ratio [OR] = .33; 95% confidence interval [CI] = .13–.85; p = .02). For nonchild brides (N =480), women were less likely to report physical and/or sexual violence (OR =.54; 95% CI =.28–1.04; p = .06), emotional violence (OR = .44; 95% CI = .25–.77; p = .004), and economic abuse (OR = .36; 95% CI = .20–.66; p = .001) in the combined intervention arm than their group savings–only counterparts. Conclusions Findings suggest that intervention participants with a history of child marriage may have greater difficulty benefiting from interventions that seek to reduce intimate partner violence.

Improved child marriage laws and its association with changing attitudes and experiences of intimate partner violence: a comparative multi-national study

“…This may be because the policy helped delay marriage, and was effective at preventing IPV among girls who delayed marriage but not for the subsample who continued to marry early. This is consistent with other research including a recent study from Cote D'Ivoire which found community based gender dialogue groups and IPV prevention programming were ineffective at decreasing physical or sexual violence experienced among women married as child brides, despite these interventions having positive effects on non-child brides [47].…”

Violence, Well-Being and Level of Participation in Formal Education among Adolescent Girls in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo: The Role of Child Marriage

“…These findings suggest that the dynamics of being married not only interfere with girls' access to education and expose them to a greater likelihood of experiencing violence, but being married makes the potential protective role of education vis-à-vis violence less pronounced. These findings are supported by existing research documenting the ways in which child marriage can potentially moderateand thereby diminish the effect of -supportive interventions for married girls (Falb et al, 2015. ) This study also highlights an association between girls who were married, and lower levels of participation in formal education.…”

Child marriage of female Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon: a literature review

“…Child marriage can be linked to a range of poor social and health outcomes for women and girls, including high risks of early pregnancy [13], mental health issues due to forced early sexual debut [14], and maternal death and disability, including postpregnancy complications [15]. Additional sexual health challenges, such as the lack of agency of brides to negotiate the use of condoms even in conditions of high risk of HIV infection, are reported [16]. Such challenges are associated with the potential presence of increasing risk of domestic violence and power differentials in the relationship, which could be attributed to differences in age.…”

“…Such challenges are associated with the potential presence of increasing risk of domestic violence and power differentials in the relationship, which could be attributed to differences in age. There is evidence which shows that early marriage is linked to negative social outcomes, including school dropout, lack of employment and low educational attainment [15,16].…”