Psycho -Social Consequence of Early Marriage on Female Adolescents: In Case of Andabet Woreda, Mesi Wojo Kebele, North - Western Ethiopia

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the main reasons and consequence of early marriage, its influences, and most problems facing them in the study area. The study employed a qualitative method and purposive and snowballing sampling techniques. Qualitative data were collected from 15 informants and data were analyzed thematically. The qualitative method helps to get rich information about the actual life of participants. The study was employed a case study design to investigate the detailed life experience of married life. Purposive sampling techniques in this study were employed. To accomplish the above objectives the study, the data for this study was gathered from early married females, key informants through in-depth- interviews, and FGD. The findings of the study showed that female adolescent join on early marriage due to lack of both family, divorce, single parents, poverty/ economic scarcity, socio cultural problems, and parents’ expectation of advantageous life for themselves. The result of married life contributors is dealing with several psychological and social troubles like inferiority, stress, anxiety and social exclusion, due to inaccessibility health services, lack of financial, and knowledge. Also, there are problems that have been facing on them after married that may not be taken hand in hand between concerned actors to tackle the troubles of early in a particular manner. Therefore, their most problems are gender violence, discrimination health problem during pregnancy, inaccessibility of health services, and finical problems to obtain health service as should be. The study has relevant implications for social work practice with such social problems prevailing in the rural parts of the country. Both social work practitioners, policy organs, researchers and other related organs are needs to have a collaborative effort to withdraw the early marriage.