Page 40 - IJPS-8-1

International Journal of
Population Studies School dropouts and mental health among Indian adolescents

of a husband’s education suggest that highly educated 20 years of age, were more likely to have poorer mental
husband’s wives are more likely to have poor mental health. This suggests that the societal pressure of bearing
health. This may be due to male dominance through a child just after marriage is a norm that might affect the
education (Pai, Godboldo-Brooks and Edington, 2010). mental health of women who could not bear it soon after
However, on the contrary, wives 3–5 years younger than marriage. Further, young mothers who gave birth after
their husbands have better mental health than their peers age 20 years are likely to report more mental health issues
who are either older than or 2 years younger than their in that new childcare is found to be more associated with
husbands. However, a significant proportion of women postpartum depression than those who already had older
did not know about their husbands’ age and education. children. The current findings indicate that not bearing
It is noteworthy that women who do not know their a child, bearing a child late, and postpartum depression
husband’s age and their husband’s education are more affect mental health negatively and require a programmatic
vulnerable to poor mental health. It is expected in a attention on young motherhood.
rural Indian society where marriages are performed at an Another emerging finding of the study is the association
early age, mostly arranged by the family with no consent of empowerment-related variables with mental health.
of girls, where gender roles are also very critical (Patel, Young women who did not know their husband’s age or
Santhya and Haberland, 2021). In such cases, women are education had poor mental health outcomes. Surprisingly,
less likely to know about their husband’s characteristics. women with highly educated husbands are more likely to
Further, the present findings that women’s empowerment have poor mental health. Working women, women who
(work status, self-efficacy, decision making) improves have better self-efficacy and have a decision-making power
mental health outcomes suggest a need to focus on girl’s show better mental health outcomes. Therefore, the study
empowerment at younger ages. In this way, events such as recommends continued attention to improving young
drop-out from school, early marriage, and early childbirth women’s autonomy and gender role attitudes as it directly
may be delayed, which will improve their mental health affects their psychological well-being.
outcomes in young adulthood.
The present study is based on two state samples and, Acknowledgments
therefore, results may not be generalized for other states This research uses data from the study on “Understanding
of India. Variables, including outcome variables of mental the Lives of Adolescents and Young Adults (UDAYA) in
health status and husband characteristics, are based on the Bihar and Uttar Pradesh,” collected by the Population
reporting from individuals and, therefore, may have some Council. Therefore, the authors are thankful to the
response biasedness. Nevertheless, the study findings are Population Council for providing the data.
crucial and have programmatic relevance.
Funding
5. Conclusions
We declare that we did not receive any funding for this
The present study identified the effect of life course events work.
such as school drop-out, marriage, childbearing, and
parental characteristics on the mental health outcomes Conflict of Interest
at young adulthood. We also assessed the association of The authors declare that they do not have any competing
empowerment of young women with their mental health interest.
outcomes. Young women who never attended school or
dropped out from school have a poorer mental health Author Contribution
status in their young adulthood (22–28 years). Young
women who completed their higher education showed a Conception and design of the study: RY and PD; analysis
better mental health status. Young women having educated and/or interpretation of data: RY; drafting the manuscript:
mothers and fathers with the job were less likely to have RY and AK; revising the manuscript critically for important
poor mental health. Women whose marriage was dissolved intellectual content: PD and SKP; reading and approving
due to the death of their spouse, separation, or divorce the manuscript: all authors.
were most likely to have poor mental health. Delaying Availability of Supporting Data
age at marriage positively affects mental health in early
adulthood as girls who got married after age 19 showed The use is secondary in nature and is freely available to
better mental health outcomes. On the contrary, compared everyone on request at https://www.popcouncil.org/.
to women who had their first child before age 19, women UDAYA follow-up data and survey tools can be obtained
who did not have a child, or who had their first child after from the Harvard Dataverse.

Volume 8 Issue 1 (2022) 34 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.v8i1.1280