Page 86 - 5th APA Conference Program Book Final

Abstract

Education is a key determinant of future employment and income visions of youths. Early marriages, poor mental
health are common among adolescents which have high risk of dropping school. This study aims to examine the
effect of life course events- school dropout in adolescence and early marriages on mental health status at their later
ages in Bihar, India. Using UDAYA data, mental health was measured for 2923 sample (15-19 years at baseline and
23-28 years at follow-up survey) in Bihar using PHQ12 score and examined across genders, educational levels and
other socio-economic factors using Bivariate, and MLR analysis. Poor mental health was present in 21% (n=2923) of
the dropout participants (56%), 16% (n=192) males and 21%(N=1446) females. Females had a higher risk of poor
mental health than males. In higher education and timings of marriage, poor mental health was a predictor of
dropout. From Life Event Calendar in 2007, around 76% adolescents left school at 19 age. Poor mental health was
significantly associated to early dropout and early marriage among young adults. Further research should be done
to understand the mechanisms that make those married, during early adolescence particularly vulnerable to
psychological distress, so that programs can address those vulnerabilities.

804 Understanding the Role of Girls’ Schooling and Paid Work in Delaying Marriage

1
1
1,2
1
Momoe Makino , Sajeda Amin , Christina Misunas , Stephanie Psaki
2
1 Population Council, New York, USA. Institute of Developing Economies, Chiba, Japan
Categories
10. Special population groups (Youth, Persons with Disability, etc.)

Abstract

Child marriage, generally defined as marriages occurring before exact age 18, is prevalent in many low-income
countries. Despite potential drawbacks of child marriage, such as limiting girls’ educational opportunities and
higher fertility, existing measures, including its outright legal ban, are ineffective in preventing child marriage. This
analysis explores girls’ expected and contemporaneous contribution to their households as a potential channel for
preventing child marriage. We exploit an exogenous skill-training intervention targeting adolescent girls in
Bangladesh as an instrument variable to affect girls’ time use, and explore the causal relationship between girls’
time use and parental or even community/societal decisions regarding their age at marriage. We find that parents
delay their daughters’ marriage when girls spend more time in school and working for pay. The current study
suggests that ensuring girls can continue their school and have access to opportunities for paid employment is an
effective way to prevent child marriage.

240 An Analysis of Internal Migrants' Contraceptive Methods Change in China during

2011-2017

2
2
Jingwen ZHANG , Zhili WANG , Yaer ZHUANG
1
2
1 The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom. China Population and Development Research
Center, Beijing, China

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