Exploring the Consequences of Early Marriage among Kurdish Women: A Qualitative Study in Western Iran

Abstract

Background: Early marriage is one of the most important social issues for young women, which can have many consequences, so this study was conducted to explain the consequences of early marriage among Kurdish women in western Iran.Methods: This qualitative study was conducted with the approach of conventional content analysis among Iranian Kurdish women who were married under the age 18. The data were saturated through semi-structured interviews with 30 women selected by purposeful sampling. Data analysis was performed by Graneheim and Lundman method.Results: 389 codes, 14 subcategories, 4 sub-categories and 2 main categories were extracted from data analysis. Negative consequences of early marriage include 1- Physical and psychological problems (high-risk pregnancy and childbirth, physical illnesses, yearning and remorse, psychological challenges) 2- Family problems (experience of violence, dissatisfaction with married life, experience of multiple roles, lack of independence in Family life) 3. Social problems (social deviance, deprivation of social and health services, social isolation, deprivation of job and educational opportunities) and positive consequences include receiving intra- family support, improving living conditions and opportunities for progress and empowerment.Conclusions: It is possible to reduce the negative consequences of early marriage through teaching young women to have a less dangerous pregnancy and childbirth, training and using psychological counseling on how to deal with personal problems and married life, and providing appropriate social and health services for them.