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308622
Child marriage and help seeking behaviors for intimate partner violence among a national sample of Colombian women
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
: 3:06 PM - 3:18 PM
John J. Hembling, MPH
,
Global Health Systems and Development, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA
Background: This study assesses the relationship between early marriage and both informal and formal help-seeking for intimate partner violence. Early marriage of females has been associated with negative reproductive health outcomes, limited educational opportunities, social isolation, power disparities in unions and increased exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV). Little is known about the effects of early marriage on IPV help-seeking behavior. Methods: This study utilized data from the 2010 Colombia Demographic and Health Survey, among a sample of 7,655 Colombian women who reported experiencing physical or sexual IPV. Results: Among women ever in a union, 8% and 25% had married (or partnered) before the age of 15 and between the ages of 15 and 17, respectively. Nearly 37% of Colombian women ever in a union reported physical or sexual IPV victimization. Multivariate logistic regression analyses demonstrate that the odds for informal IPV help-seeking were lower (AOR: 0.75, 95% CI: 0.59-0.94) for women who married before the age of 15 compared to women who married after 18. The odds of formal IPV help-seeking were also lower for women who married before the age of 15 (AOR: 0.75, 95% CI: 0.55-0.99) and between the ages of 15 and 17 (AOR: 0.82, 95% CI: 0.69-0.98) compared to women who married after age 18. Conclusion: Early marriage has a negative effect on informal and formal IPV help-seeking behaviors, increasing the vulnerability of women in violent relationships. Additional research is needed to assess the role of early marriage on the help-seeking decision making process.
Learning Areas:
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences
Learning Objectives:
Identify at least three negative health consequences of early marriage.
Describe the relationship between early marriage and IPV help seeking behavior.
Keyword(s): Domestic Violence, International Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have worked in public health programs in Latin America since 1999. I have conducted multiple quantitative research studies in Guatemala and El Salvador on sexual and reproductive health. My research interests are related to intimate partner violence and key populations at risk for HIV in Central and South America.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines,
and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed
in my presentation.
