[size=14pt]Early marriage linked to mental health problems – Report[/size]
By MAUREEN AZUH
Tuesday, 13 Sep 2011

A new study gives a fresh perspective to fears that usually surround early marriage, writes MAUREEN AZUH





IN Africa and Nigeria in particular, early marriage is largely considered the best for women. The reasoning is based on the belief that a woman has no ‘time’ to waste as regards marriage and childbearing. For this reason, most women who are considered ‘ripe’ for marriage and are not married are constantly reminded to change their status.


In northern Nigeria, for instance, there are reports that 45 per cent of girls are married by age 15, and 73 per cent are married by age 18. The report further shows that many of such unions are arranged by families.


However, a new study has found that girls who marry too early are more likely to suffer from mental health problems later in life. The research, which was published in a journal, Pediatrics, found that women who were married as children — defined as 17 or younger by the study — were more likely to suffer from problems such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and alcohol and drug addiction.


The researchers, led by Dr. Yann Le Strat, discovered the connection between early marriage and these psychological disorders by looking at data from more than 18,000 women who participated in the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions across the United States. Their method was determining how old they had been when they were first married - if they married at all - and whether or not they suffered from long or short-term psychiatric problems.


According to reports, the results of the study did not paint a good picture for early marriage. Even though the data was controlled for socioeconomic differences of the women used for the research, the study still found a link between marrying very young and psychiatric problems.

http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201109133483031