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Effect of Life Course Events in Adolescence on Mental Health Status in Early Adulthood among Females, Bihar

Ravita Yadav, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)

Background: Education is a key determinant of future employment and income visions of youths. Early marriages, poor mental health are common among adolescents which have high risk of dropping school. This study aims to examine the effect of life course events of females- school dropout in adolescence and early marriages on mental health status at their later ages in Bihar, India. Methods: Using UDAYA data, mental health was measured for 2360 sample (15-19 years at baseline and 23-28 years at follow-up survey) in Bihar using PHQ12 score and examined across genders, educational levels and other socio-economic factors using Bivariate, and OLR analysis. Results: 6.8% of females who never attended school during their adolescence have poor mental health status currently as compared to 5.9% of females from dropouts. In higher education and timings of marriage, poor mental health was a predictor of dropout. From Life Event Calendar in 2007, around 76% adolescents left school at 19 age. Conclusions: Poor mental health was significantly associated to early dropout and early marriage among young adults. Further research should be done to understand the mechanisms that make those married, during early adolescence particularly vulnerable to psychological distress, so that programs can address those vulnerabilities.

Keywords: Children and youth, Life course analysis, Health and morbidity

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  Presented in Session 4. Emotional Wellbeing of Adolescents and Young People