POSTTRAUMATIC GROWTH IN ADULTHOOD FOLLOWING CHILD, EARLY, AND FORCED MARRIAGES

Abstract

Child, early forced marriage (CEFM) is a gender-based harmful practice that disproportionately affects women and girls globally, preventing them from living their lives free of violence. The educational status and economic level of the family, domestic violence, sexist perspectives, and traditional practices formulate the environment that leads to the early marriage of girls. Early marriages strip these girls’ of their childhood, keep them away from their peers, cause them to discontinue their education, and trigger problems within their yet not fully formed social identities. Married children are subject to exploitation at home and become vulnerable to physical, sexual, and emotional domestic abuse, potentially leading to posttraumatic stress, postnatal depression, and possibly suicide. Posttraumatic Growth (PTG) in CEFM is a multidimensional process affected by perceived social support, psychological resilience, and coping strategies. Active coping, social support, and resilience can allow survivors to progress from a negative trajectory toward PTG. Understanding CEFM as a violation of children and a crime on individual, societal, and governmental levels provide opportunities for preventive precautions and timely interventions. Informed by the author’s community-based clinical studies and experience, this chapter discusses CEFM, its correlates and outcomes, and its relationships to PTG. © 2024 selection and editorial matter, Roni Berger.