Factors associated with self-reported stopped marriages among adolescent girls aged 10-19 in Amhara Region, Ethiopia

Anastasia J. Gage, Tulane University
Yemane Berhane, Addis Continental Institute of Public Health (AC-IPH)
Alemayehu Worku, Addis Ababa University

Using data from a 2007 study conducted in Amhara region, Ethiopia and multivariate logistic regression models, this paper analyzed the odds of reporting a stopped formal engagement or marriage among adolescent girls aged 10-19 years. Self-initiated discussion about forestalling marriage, community counseling of parents against early marriage, exposure to early marriage prevention messages from religious leaders, and secondary school attendance were positively associated with the odds of reporting a stopped child marriage or formal engagement. The odds of reporting that a child marriage was stopped declined with an increase in the perceived level of stigma against families whose daughters’ marriages had been stopped. A gap of 3 or more years in the legal and community definitions of early marriage was associated with significantly lower odds of stopped child marriages in rural as compared to urban areas.