Mental health consequences of child marriages: A narrative review

This review attempted to answer the following questions: What are the mental health consequences child marriages had on girls and/or boys globally between the year 2000 and 2019? What causes distress in child marriages? And what are the resulting mental health consequences of causes of distress in child marriages?

The review included both empirical and non-empirical papers using qualitative and quantitative methods focusing on the implications of child marriages and discussions of the resulting mental health impacts. Studies were included if they discussed mental health of children married or promised in marriage before the age of 18 years. Studies in which children married before reaching 18 years old were part of a larger sample, other populations were only included if their results were presented separately. This review did not limit inclusion based on study design. Studies that reported outcomes regarding child marriages but did not report or discuss any mental health impacts were also excluded.