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Psychological Consequences
The most prevalent problem for children in marriages is the psychological decline. Studies done in many different countries such as Ethiopia, Niger, and even Canada show significant negative association between being married before the age of eighteen and psychological well-being. BMC public health states, “a study among adolescent Ethiopian girls from the Amhara region found increased odds of suicidality among girls who were ever married, were promised in marriage, or had received marriage requests when compared to unmarried girls”. The sub-domains that were most affected were depression, anxiety, positive well-being, vitality, and general health. The aspects of child marriage that particularly affect these sub-domains needs to be studied more. It is theorized that situations such as moving away from loved ones, being forced to birth a child soon after marriage, having no power in the marriage, intimate partner violence, and being financially dependent are likely causes. Divorce is not an option because these girls would have to pay back their very expensive dowry. Even if they could afford it, divorce is considered unacceptable and shameful in these cultures. The girl's parents would most likely refuse to let her move back in with them to maintain their high social status. The divorce would also break the family bond of which each of the parents benefit from. 

Health Consequences
These girls also commonly suffer from sexually transmitted diseases (STD). Studies show married girls are 50 times more likely to get infected than an unmarried girl in these cultures. Because these girls are financially dependent and are expected to follow orders, they cannot ask for their husbands to be tested for STDs. They also cannot ask to abstain from sexual intercourse or for their husbands to wear a condom. They are not even allowed to ask for their husbands to be monogamous in the marriage. The most common STDs contracted by these girls are the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) which leads to AIDS and Human papillomavirus (HPV) Which is linked to cervical cancer. In a collection of different child marriage related surveys, BMC Public Health states, “A case-control study from India reported that women diagnosed with cervical cancer were more likely to have been married before the age of 18” [3 ] They also found that girls in child marriages are more likely to have obstetric fistulas, complication during pregnancy, and postnatal complications. STDs are not the only contributors to these complications but also high parity, long term use of oral contraceptives, poor hygiene, and polygamous husbands. [2 ] [1] John, N.A., Edmeades, J. & Murithi, L. (2019) Child marriage and psychological well-being in Niger and Ethiopia. BMC Public Health 19(1029) 15 October 2022. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-7314-z

[2] Osakinle, E. O., & Tayo-Olajubutu, O. (2017). Child Marriage and Health Consequences in Nigeria. American Academic Scientific Research Journal for Engineering, Technology, and Sciences, 30(1), 351–356. 14 October 2022. https://asrjetsjournal.org/index.php/American_Scientific_Journal/article/view/2645

[3] Fan, S., Koski, A. (2022) The health consequences of child marriage: a systematic review of the evidence. BMC Public Health, 22(309). 12 October 2022. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-12707-x