Every report we find, newest first.

Teen girls are faring worse than boys on mental health

In a plain‐language news analysis published at the end of March, data from the federal Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) shows that teen girls are faring worse on mental health measures than boys. Misty Richards, M.D., M.S., program director for UCLA's Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship, recently cared for a girl who attempted suicide after receiving a college rejection letter, Richards said in an interview with JAMA.

Alison Knopf

Examining the Consequences of School Bans on the Self-esteem of Afghan Adolescent Girls in Kabul, Afghanistan

Abstract Following the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, they systematically banned Afghan girls from formal education beyond the sixth grade across the country, forcibly depriving millions of girls of educational opportunities in Afghanistan. This qualitative study explores the consequences of school bans on the psychological well-being and self-esteem of Afghan adolescent girls by examining how prolonged adversity following abrupt school bans, conceptualised as a potentially traumatic life experience, has affected Afghan adolescent girls’ daily routines, educational goals, and aspirations. The study employs semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis. The participants comprise 10 Afghan girls aged between 13 and 18 residing in Kabul. Data collection was conducted online from 17 August to 4 September, approximately three years after the imposition of school bans. Most participants had been experiencing school exclusion for three years. The findings indicate significant shifts in participants’ daily routines and psychological well-being, particularly among those from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Participants who experienced abrupt school exclusion reported lower psychological well-being, including increased social isolation, compared to those with prior awareness. In addition to the loss of agency experienced by the participants, the data analysis reveals stress-related somatic symptoms, including headaches, among a small number of participants. These findings emphasise the pressing need for psychological support and educational opportunities to mitigate the effects of prolonged adversity.

Fahima Sediqi

Child marriage and its association with partner controlling behaviour against adolescent girls and young women in sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract Background Child marriage and partner controlling behaviours are culturally seated phenomena in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Child marriage refers to any legal or customary union involving a boy or girl below the age of 18. Partner controlling behaviour on the other hand refers to a situation where a sexual partner consistently tries to control their spouse’s behaviours, movements, and social contacts with other people. This study examined the association between child marriage and partner controlling behaviour among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in SSA. Methods We extracted data from the most recent Demographic and Health Surveys of 26 countries in SSA. Countries whose surveys were conducted from 2010 to 2020 were included in the study. A total of 26,970 AGYW (15–24 years) were included in the study. We used a multilevel mixed-effect binary logistic regression analysis to examine the association between child marriage and partner controlling behaviour. Results The average prevalence of child marriage was 55.40% (95% CI: 48.83–61.97). This proportion ranged from 19.62% (95% CI: 16.71–22.53) in South Africa to 85.10% (95% CI: 83.14–87.06) in Chad. The proportion of AGYW who had experienced partner controlling behaviour was 68.36% (95% CI: 64.40–72.33), and this ranged from 38.40% (95% CI: 35.55–41.25) in Burundi to 88.18% (95% CI: 83.80–92.56) in Gabon. AGYW who married as child brides were more likely [aOR = 1.31; 95% CI = 1.21, 1.43] to experience partner controlling behaviour compared to those who did not marry as child brides. AGYW in Western [aOR = 1.51; 95% CI = 1.33, 1.71] and Eastern [aOR = 1.31; 95% CI = 1.13, 1.50] part of SSA were more likely to experience partner controlling behaviour compared to those in Central Africa. Conclusions Our study has shown that there is a significant association between child marriage and the likelihood of experiencing partner controlling behaviour in SSA. Effective policies and interventions are, therefore, needed to prevent child marriage and raise AGYW’s awareness of its implication on victims of partner controlling behaviours.

Bright Opoku Ahinkorah, Richard Gyan Aboagye, Joshua Okyere et al.

Girls should be Girls: The Impact of Child Marriage on Human Development

Child marriage is a violation of Human Rights and an impediment to social and economic development, it is strongly rooted in gender inequality. In Brazil, this practice has a predominantly informal and consensual quality, they often involve adult men married to girls in early puberty. The objective of this study is to synthesize the literature on the impact of child marriage on the most diverse indicators of human development - such as education, labor market, health, fertility, violence and female empowerment. In summary, the literature reveals that child marriage has a negative impact on these indicators, and this corroborates the urge to eliminate this phenomenon, which will ensure women’s right to a full economic and social life.

Raquel Rangel de Meireles Guimarães, Nayara Abreu Julião, Thaila Renata Teixeira Doria

The mental health crisis: New data on teen girls

In February of this year, the CDC released sobering data: nearly three in five teen girls experienced sadness and hopelessness in 2021. This is double the number of boys and represents an almost 60% increase as well as the highest level over the past 10 years. Further, nearly one in three considered death by suicide, an increase of almost 60% over the past 10 years. One in five girls was the victim of sexual violence in the past year, an increase of 20% since 2017. Moreover, finally, one in 10 have been forced to have sex, an increase of 27% since 2019. These numbers are noted to be even higher in LBGTQ+ and minority populations of girls.

Anne S. Walters

Outcome of Deliveries Among Adolescent Girls at The SOS Kara Mother And Child Hospital : Clinical Aspects, Epidemiology And Prognosis

Background: Pregnancies and childbirths previously widely accepted among teen girls are universally frowned upon these days owing to the health hazards they pose to young mothers and their newly- borns. The World Health Organization estimates that a teenage mother has a 50% chance of dying during childbirth. The purpose of this study is to analyse the epidemiological and clinical aspects and to carry out a diagnosis and prognosis of teenage births at the Mother and Child SOS Hospital. Method: The study was carried out over a five-year period extending from January 2018 to December 2021 covering descriptive and retrospective aspects of teenage girls aged from 10 to 19 years at the child and mother SOS hospital Results: The prevalence of pregnancies among the patients under review was 5.18%. The average age of the teens involved was 17 years with 67% aged between 18/19 years. 47% of the group was made up of school girls with a level of education not exceeding secondary school for 40% of them. 52% of the patients attended at least four prenatal examinations and 98% of the patients did not develop any pathology during their pregnancies. 90 % of them had natural births and the rest delivered their child through C-sections. 26% of the mothers endured acute fetal distress and 19% suffered from narrow pelvis. The main maternal complication was post-partum tear of the perineum among 26% of the mothers. 15% of the babies had very low birth weight. The Apgar score was below 7 for 4% of the newborns at the first and fifth minute. Three babies were still born and the rate of perinatal mortality was 1.09%. Conclusion: There is clear evidence of existing of risks relating to precocious pregnancies and child births among teens but they seem to occur as much as a result of unfavorable socioeconomic and sanitary determinants as from factors of biological immaturity. The prevention of these obstetrical risks point to the need to pay more attention to the pregnant teen through the provision of adequate and specifically targeted prenatal, perinatal and postnatal care.

Impact of education in preventing child marriage among girls in South Asia: A qualitative study

Background: Child marriage is a serious human rights violation that disproportionately affects girls, harming their health, rights, and future opportunities. This study focuses on five South Asian countries Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives to explore the link between education and the prevention of child marriage. It aims to analyze current trends in child marriage and the challenges girls face in accessing education in the region. Method: Based on quantitative methodology, using secondary data from UNICEF, Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), and the World Bank data from 2006-2023, the study conducted descriptive and comparative analyses of Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. This identifies trends, patterns, and correlations between the female child marriage rate as the dependent variable and the female lower secondary education completion rate as the independent variable. Results: Between 2006 and 2023, a declining trend in child marriage rates was observed across five selected South Asian countries: Bangladesh (65% to 51%), India (45% to 22%), Nepal (50% to 35%), Sri Lanka (13% to 10%), and the Maldives (4% to 2%) respectively. In this region, Bangladesh continues to report the highest child marriage rate, while the Maldives reports the lowest, Sri Lanka ranked as the second-lowest. During the same period, female lower secondary education completion rates increased in all five countries. However, negative relationship identified between education levels and child marriage. Moreover, in Maldives, the highest female education completion rate identified (100.9%), and the lowest child marriage rate was (2%). In contrast, Bangladesh (91%) and Nepal (103%) show higher education rates but still report high child marriage rates (51% and 35%). This indicated that factors beyond education, such as socio-cultural influences, may contribute to early marriage. Conclusion: The findings revealed that education plays a crucial role in reducing child marriage. However, addressing socio-cultural barriers, especially in countries like Bangladesh and Nepal, is crucial. Key obstacles to girls' education in the region include poverty, inadequate infrastructure, gender inequality, political instability, and unsafe school environments.

K. N. Isurika, S. S. Ramanayake

Constrained choices: Exploring the complexities of adolescent girls’ voice and agency in child marriage decisions in Ethiopia

Ethiopia has recently seen a remarkable fall in the proportion of girls who marry in early adolescence, reflecting the country’s lauded efforts to tackle child marriage. However, aggregate national figures mask a more complex reality. This article explores this complexity, drawing on qualitative data with adolescent girls and boys, their caregivers, service providers and community leaders, from the Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence (GAGE) longitudinal study baseline. Our findings highlight the complex interplay between cultural norms, economic factors, individual voice and agency, and collective support thereof, on the part of leaders and service providers, from grassroots to national levels.

Nicola Jones, Elizabeth Presler-Marshall, Guday Kassahun et al.

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

Child marriage is a well-recognized barrier to education, and exposes girls to an increased risk of violence along with other negative health and developmental outcomes. A quantitative survey was conducted with girls selected from 14 communities in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Data from 350 girls (ages 13-14) were analyzed using mixed effects logistic regression models. Findings revealed that child marriage was associated with lower levels of participation in formal education as well as higher rates of physical, sexual and emotional violence. In particular, when adjusting for age and girls’ level of participation in formal education, being married was associated with more than a three-fold (OR: 3.23) increased risk of experiencing sexual violence (p<0.001). Married girls were also significantly more likely to affirm the belief that they would be forced to marry their perpetrator in the event that they were raped (p=0.017), suggesting that a portion of girls within this sample may have experienced this occurrence. Although higher levels of participation in formal education were associated with a reduced risk of violence among non-married girls, these differences were not observed for girls who were married. Findings reveal that child marriage has a significantly negative effect on the relationship between girls’ level of participation in formal education and experiences with violence. Taken cumulatively, findings from this study suggest an overall harmful relationship between child marriage and girls’ safety, education and well-being, and that efforts to prevent its occurrence in the DRC and beyond are urgently needed.

Debbie Landis, Kathryn Falb, Ilaria Michelis et al.