The Psychopathological Effects of Child Marriages and the Relationship with Sociodemographic-Obstetric Factors

Purpose The aim of this study was to determine the psychopathological characteristics of child brides and to examine the relationship with sociodemographic and obstetric factors. Method The sample in this descriptive, cross-sectional study consisted of 92 women who had married before the age of 18 and who were contacted via snowball sampling, one of the purposive sampling methods. Data were collected using questions concerning sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics and the Brief Symptom Inventory(BSI) to determine psychopathologic characteristics. Results Women whose income was lower than their expenses had higher somatization scores than those whose income exceeded expenses, and those whose mothers married under the age of 18 had higher somatization scores than those whose mothers married over 18. Women who rated their marital relationship status as moderate registered higher negative self-scores than those who rated it as poor, while those who rated their marital relationship status as good exhibited lower total and somatization scores than those who rated it as poor(p < 0.05). A weak positive correlation was observed between the duration of marriage and somatization scores. A weak negative correlation was determined between the mothers' Anxiety , Depression , Hostility and total BSI scores and age at first pregnancy, and between age at birth of the first infant and BSI total and subscale scores. Conclusion This study emphasizes the adverse effects of factors such as low income and early marriage on mental health. The findings may contribute to a better understanding of the psychological consequences of child marriages.