Developmental Consequences of Child Marriage for Girls in North West Nigeria: A Mixed-Methods Study of Psychological, Educational, and Health Outcomes

This study examines the developmental consequences of child marriage for girls in North West Nigeria through a mixed-methods investigation of psychological, educational, and reproductive health outcomes across Kano, Zamfara, and Kebbi states. Child marriage remains highly prevalent in northern Nigeria despite legal prohibitions, and while social science literature documents its harms broadly, comprehensive developmental psychology evidence from Nigerian contexts is remarkably sparse. This research employed a sequential explanatory design. A quantitative cross-sectional survey compared 380 currently or previously married girls aged 15 to 19 with 380 unmarried age-matched peers on measures of depression, anxiety, educational attainment, agency beliefs, and reproductive health knowledge. In-depth interviews and life history narratives with 60 women who married as children provided qualitative depth on developmental disruption experiences. Multiple logistic regression and thematic analysis were applied to respective data. Results indicate that girls married before age 15 demonstrated significantly higher rates of major depression, post-traumatic stress, and school dropout compared to unmarried peers. Agency and educational aspiration scores were markedly lower, and reproductive health complications were more common among early-married respondents. Qualitative findings document experiences of curtailed identity exploration, social isolation, and developmental foreclosure. The study provides the most comprehensive developmental evidence base on child marriage harms in North West Nigeria and recommends multi-sector interventions targeting the enabling economic, cultural, and institutional conditions. Keywords: child marriage, developmental consequences, girls, North West Nigeria, developmental psychology.