Polygynous marriage and child health in sub-Saharan Africa: What is the evidence for harm?

Lawson, David W.; Gibson, Mhairi A.

doi:10.4054/demres.2018.39.6

Cited by 40 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 83 publications

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“…In addition, children within polygynous marriages were found to have higher risk of infant and under-five mortality, when compared with children from monogynous families. The findings from previous studies supported the arguments that child death is associated to marriage types (Arthi and Fenske 2018;Lawson and Gibson Omariba and Boyle 2007;Smith-Greenaway and Trinitapoli 2014;Wagner and Rieger, 2015). Similarly, history of mothers' involvement in multiple union was found to be associated with increased risk of child mortality.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 77%

Household factors associated with infant and under-five mortality in sub-Saharan Africa countries

Ekholuenetale

Wegbom

Tudeme

et al. 2020

ICEP

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Background: Child mortality has become a prominent public health issue in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The mortality rates can in part be translated to how communities meet the health needs of children and address key household and environmental risk factors. Though discussions on the trends and magnitude of child mortality continue as to strategize for a lasting solution, large gap exists specifically in family characteristics associated with child death. Moreover, household dynamics of child mortality in SSA is under researched despite the fact that mortality rates remain high. This study aimed to examine the influence of household structure on child mortality in SSA. Methods: Secondary data from birth histories in recent Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) in 35 SSA countries were used in this study. The total sample data of children born in the 5 years prior to the surveys were 384,747 births between 2008 and 2017. Unadjusted and adjusted Cox proportional hazard regression model was fitted to model infant and under-five mortality. The measure of association was hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Statistical test was conducted at p < 0.05 level of significance. Results: Total infant mortality rates were highest in Sierra Leone (92 deaths per 1000 live births), Chad (72 deaths per 1000 live births) and Nigeria (69 deaths per 1000 live births), respectively. Furthermore, total rates of under-five mortality across 35 SSA countries were highest in Cameroon (184 deaths per 1000 live births), Sierra Leone (156 deaths per 1000 live births) and Chad (133 deaths per 1000 live births). The risk of infant mortality was higher in households of polygyny, compared with households of monogyny (HR = 1.23; CI 1.16, 1.29). Households with large number of children (3-5 and ≥ 6) had higher risk of infant mortality, compared with those with 1-2 number of children. Infants from mothers with history of multiple union had 16% increase in the risk of infant mortality, compared with those from mothers from only one union (HR = 1.16; CI 1.09, 1.24). Furthermore, under-five from female household headship had 10% significant reduction in the risk of mortality, compared with those from male household headship (HR = 0.90; CI 0.84, 0.96). The risk of under-five mortality was higher in households of polygyny, compared with monogyny (HR = 1.33; CI 1.28, 1.38). Households with large number of children (3-5 and ≥ 6) had higher risk of under-five mortality, compared with those with 1-2 number of children ever born. Under-five

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 77%

Household factors associated with infant and under-five mortality in sub-Saharan Africa countries

Ekholuenetale

Wegbom

Tudeme

et al. 2020

ICEP

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“…With respect to polygyny, we expect that women in polygynous unions will have worse outcomes than those in monogamous unions. These expectations are consistent with prior research that shows a negative association between polygyny and women and children's physical health (Bove and Valeggia 2009;Lawson and Gibson 2018;Madhavan 2002;Smith-Greenaway and Trinitapoli 2014). The relationship between men's psychological wellbeing and polygyny is more ambiguous.…”

Section: Hypothesessupporting

confidence: 89%

The Psychological Benefits of Marriage and Children in Rural Malawi

Clark¹,

Margolis²,

Cotton³

et al. 2019

Preprint

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Despite an extensive literature on the psychological rewards to marriage and children in high- income countries, research on these relationships in low-income countries remains limited. This paper draws on data from 2,926 adults interviewed in the Malawi Longitudinal Study of Families and Health to examine how marital status, categorized as never, formerly, monogamously, and polygynous married, and number of children is associated with psychological well-being. With respect to marital status, we find that women in polygynous unions fare worse than monogamously married women and this detrimental effect is stronger for women than for men. Formerly married men and women of reproductive age experience the worst psychological outcomes, although this association wanes with age. In contrast, the benefits of having children is only evident among older Malawians, especially women. These findings offer novel insights into the patterns of nearly universal marriage and high fertility that characterizes Malawi and much of sub-Saharan Africa.

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“…Another reason for the observation could be the effect of polygamy on the children in the family. It has been shown that polygamy affects the general health of children within the family and they are likely to present with more health problems than children from monogamous families [16]. Studies have also found a significant association between polygamy, and low savings rates, a high incidence of infectious diseases, high levels of child morbidity and mortality and maternal depression in pregnancy [17].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative Study of Prevalence and Correlates of Mental Health Problems in Deaf and Hearing Adolescents in a Semi-Inclusive Setting in Ibadan, Southwest Nigeria

Adeniyi¹,

Omigbodun²,

Adeosun³

2019

AJPN

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Adolescents with deafness exhibit higher mental health problems when compared with their hearing peers. There is limited information on the mental health problems of adolescents with deafness living in the sub-Saharan Africa. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of mental health problems in a group of deaf adolescents and the relationship with socio-demographic characteristics and to compare with their hearing counterparts. Materials and Methods: Teachers of 102 deaf adolescents and 102 age-and sex-matched hearing adolescents completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Severity of deafness was assessed using Pure Tone Audiometry, using a five-frequency average. Results: The results showed that 88.2% and 11.8% of the deaf participants had profound and severe forms of deafness respectively. The prevalence of behavioural problems was significantly higher in the deaf adolescents than the control, as assessed by their teachers' (64.3% vs. 35.7%; p < 0.001). Ninety seven percent of the deaf participants reported no hearing aids use. Parental separation/divorce and mother's educational status were significantly associated with higher rates of behavioural problems (p < 0.05). There was no significant association between severity of impairment and mental health problems. Conclusion: Almost all the factors associated with deafness that are highlighted in this study are preventable through appropriate health and social interventions such as hearing aids, and will require that appropriate policy measures are put in place.

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Polygynous marriage and child health in sub-Saharan Africa: What is the evidence for harm?

Cited by 40 publications

References 83 publications

Household factors associated with infant and under-five mortality in sub-Saharan Africa countries

Household factors associated with infant and under-five mortality in sub-Saharan Africa countries

The Psychological Benefits of Marriage and Children in Rural Malawi

Comparative Study of Prevalence and Correlates of Mental Health Problems in Deaf and Hearing Adolescents in a Semi-Inclusive Setting in Ibadan, Southwest Nigeria

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