Peer-reviewed article
Effects of Parent-Child Relationships on Child Marriage of Girls in Ethiopia, India, Peru, and Vietnam: Evidence From a Prospective Cohort.
Nandita Bhan, Leslie Gautsch, Lotus McDougal, Charlotte Lapsansky, Rafael Obregon et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study followed 1,648 girls across Ethiopia, India, Peru, and Vietnam from age 8 to 19 years to understand how parent-child relationships affect early marriage. Girls aged 12 who reported good communication and strong relationships with their parents were significantly less likely to marry before age 16. The research found that one in five girls married before 18, with rates particularly high in India and Ethiopia. The findings suggest that strengthening parent-child relationships in early adolescence could help prevent very early marriage.
Key points
- 18% of girls in the study married before age 18, with 8.1% marrying before age 16
- Girls with high parent-child relationship quality at age 12 were 66% less likely to marry before age 16 (adjusted RRR: 0.34)
- Girls with moderate parent-child relationship quality at age 12 were 77% less likely to marry before age 16 (adjusted RRR: 0.23)
- India and Ethiopia had the highest child marriage rates (13.7% and 8.3% before age 16)
- Parent-child communication and relationship quality showed protective effects across all four countries
Limitations
The study measures association, not causation, and relies on self-reported data from girls at age 12 about their relationships. The research cannot explain the mechanisms through which good parent-child relationships prevent marriage or address other contextual factors that may influence both relationship quality and marriage decisions.
Abstract
PURPOSE: Parental influence over early marriage of girls is well-documented in qualitative research, but little quantitative work in this area has been conducted. This study assesses the effects of the parent-child relationship in early adolescence (aged 12 years) on early marriage of girls. METHODS: We analyzed survey data from a multicountry prospective cohort of girls (n = 1,648) followed over four rounds from age 8 to 19 years (2002-2013), as part of the Young Lives study in India, Ethiopia, Vietnam, and Peru. Multinomial logistic regression models assessed the effects of parent-child communication and parent-child relationship quality, as reported when girls were aged 12 years on child and early marriage (married <16 years, married 16-17 years, married 18-19 years, unmarried). Covariates were wealth, rural/urban residence, maternal education, parents' value of education, early menarche, and country. RESULTS: One in five girls (18.04%) reported marriage before 18 years of age, and 8.1% reported marrying before 16 years (8.3% and 13.7% in India and Ethiopia). Multinomial regression found that girls reporting good parent-child communication and high parent-child relationship quality at age 12 years were significantly less likely to marry before age 16 years (moderate relationship quality, adjusted relative risk ratio: .23, 95% confidence interval: .07-.72; high relationship quality, adjusted relative risk ratio: .34, 95% confidence interval: .11-.99). CONCLUSION: Parent-child relationship quality and communication in early adolescence are protective against very early marriage of girls cross-nationally, although communication may facilitate marriage soon on completion of school. Primary prevention interventions targeting child marriage may benefit from components focused on improving the parent-child relationship.