Peer-reviewed article
The phenomenon of child marriage: How do sociodemographic and adolescent perceptions shape reproductive health behavior
Ria Chandra Kartika, Faiqatul Hikmah, Yoswenita Susindra, Surya Dewi Puspita, Dwi Rukma Santi et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined child marriage in Jember Regency, Indonesia, using a cross-sectional survey of 140 adolescents under 19 years old. The research developed a model showing how sociodemographic factors influence adolescent knowledge, motivation, family support and social environment (antecedent factors), which then shape reproductive health behaviors and perceptions about child marriage. The study found that strengthening these antecedent factors through health education and community collaboration could help prevent child marriage.
Key points
- Sociodemographic factors significantly influence antecedent factors (knowledge, motivation, family support, social environment) with p value 0.001
- Antecedent factors significantly influence behavioral factors with p value 0.000
- Antecedent factors contribute to perceptions of child marriage in women
- Prevention strategies should focus on strengthening knowledge, motivation, family support and adolescent social environment
- Multi-stakeholder collaboration involving health workers, peer counselors, parents and community is recommended for health education
Limitations
This is a cross-sectional study with no comparison group, so it cannot establish causal relationships or track changes over time. The study does not evaluate the effectiveness of any actual prevention intervention implemented, only proposes a theoretical model for prevention.
Abstract
Child marriage is a problem that is increasingly rampant in Jember Regency. Child marriage is a form of deviant sexual behavior (deficiency) because it involves underage teenagers. This behavior arises from a combination of various factors, both internal and external factors. So, in an effort to solve this problem, an in-depth study of the phenomenon of child marriage is needed. The purpose of this study was to analyze the phenomenon of child marriage through a model of reproductive health behavior in adolescents by considering sociodemographic factors, antecedent factors, behavioral factors and consequence factors. Thus, by understanding the model, it can be used to design effective health promotion program interventions to prevent child marriage in Jember Regency. The design of this study was cross-sectional. The population of this study was adolescents under the age of 19 years in Jember Regency, East Java. The sample size in this study used quota sampling of 140 adolescents. Data collection in this study used a questionnaire. Data processing used researchStructural Equation Modeling (SEM) SmartPLS 4. The results of modeling reproductive health behavior in adolescents show that socio-demographic factors influence antecedent factors (p value 0.001) and then will influence behavioral factors (p value 0.000). Antecedent factors also contribute to consequences, namely the perception of child marriage in women. Efforts to prevent child marriage models that can be carried out according to this model are by strengthening antecedent factors, becauseAntecedent factors are factors that have a major contribution to behavior. So, it is necessary to strengthen the level of knowledge, motivation, family support and adolescent social environment.Child prevention can also be done by providing health education, through collaboration between various parties, including health workers, peer counselors, parents, and the community.