Exploring the effect of early menarche on sexual violence among adolescent girls and young women in southeastern Ghana: a longitudinal mediation analysis
Research from several high-income countries links early menarche with an increased risk for sexual violence. However, the role of early menarche in adolescent girls’ and young women’s sexual violence risk in sub-Saharan Africa, where sexual violence rates are high, is not well understood. The curren...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters |
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| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/26410397.2023.2244271 |
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| author | Mobolaji Ibitoye Marni Sommer Leslie L. Davidson Theo G. M. Sandfort |
| author_facet | Mobolaji Ibitoye Marni Sommer Leslie L. Davidson Theo G. M. Sandfort |
| author_sort | Mobolaji Ibitoye |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Research from several high-income countries links early menarche with an increased risk for sexual violence. However, the role of early menarche in adolescent girls’ and young women’s sexual violence risk in sub-Saharan Africa, where sexual violence rates are high, is not well understood. The current study explores the association between early menarche and sexual violence in Ghana with secondary analysis of data collected from 700 adolescent girls and young women followed over three years. Logistic regressions were used to assess the cross-sectional association between early menarche and sexual violence. Generalised estimating equations were used to assess whether the association between early menarche and sexual violence persisted over time. Inverse odds weighting was used to test potential mediators of the association between early menarche and sexual violence. Sexual violence was fairly common in the study sample, with 27% reporting having experienced sexual violence at baseline, and approximately 50% at year three. Early menarche was associated with 72% greater odds of having experienced sexual violence at baseline (95% confidence interval: 1.01–2.93). However, the odds ratio attenuated and lost significance over the three-year study period, with a lower risk of sexual violence among girls with early menarche at year three. Neither child marriage nor early sexual initiation significantly mediated the association between early menarche and sexual violence. The findings suggest that early-maturing girls may be particularly vulnerable to sexual violence in early adolescence, thus necessitating prevention interventions around the time of menarche to reduce the risk for sexual violence. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7913f9b475ef4dceafb9b665a8576c2d |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2641-0397 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters |
| spelling | doaj-art-7913f9b475ef4dceafb9b665a8576c2d2025-08-20T03:27:17ZengTaylor & Francis GroupSexual and Reproductive Health Matters2641-03972023-12-0131110.1080/26410397.2023.2244271Exploring the effect of early menarche on sexual violence among adolescent girls and young women in southeastern Ghana: a longitudinal mediation analysisMobolaji Ibitoye0Marni Sommer1Leslie L. Davidson2Theo G. M. Sandfort3Postdoctoral Scholar, Institute for Population Research, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.Professor of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USAProfessor Emerita of Epidemiology and of Pediatrics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USAProfessor of Clinical Sociomedical Sciences (in Psychiatry), Division of Gender, Sexuality and Health, New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University, New York, NY, USAResearch from several high-income countries links early menarche with an increased risk for sexual violence. However, the role of early menarche in adolescent girls’ and young women’s sexual violence risk in sub-Saharan Africa, where sexual violence rates are high, is not well understood. The current study explores the association between early menarche and sexual violence in Ghana with secondary analysis of data collected from 700 adolescent girls and young women followed over three years. Logistic regressions were used to assess the cross-sectional association between early menarche and sexual violence. Generalised estimating equations were used to assess whether the association between early menarche and sexual violence persisted over time. Inverse odds weighting was used to test potential mediators of the association between early menarche and sexual violence. Sexual violence was fairly common in the study sample, with 27% reporting having experienced sexual violence at baseline, and approximately 50% at year three. Early menarche was associated with 72% greater odds of having experienced sexual violence at baseline (95% confidence interval: 1.01–2.93). However, the odds ratio attenuated and lost significance over the three-year study period, with a lower risk of sexual violence among girls with early menarche at year three. Neither child marriage nor early sexual initiation significantly mediated the association between early menarche and sexual violence. The findings suggest that early-maturing girls may be particularly vulnerable to sexual violence in early adolescence, thus necessitating prevention interventions around the time of menarche to reduce the risk for sexual violence.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/26410397.2023.2244271menarchesexual violenceadolescentyouthsexual and reproductive healthchild marriage |
| spellingShingle | Mobolaji Ibitoye Marni Sommer Leslie L. Davidson Theo G. M. Sandfort Exploring the effect of early menarche on sexual violence among adolescent girls and young women in southeastern Ghana: a longitudinal mediation analysis Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters menarche sexual violence adolescent youth sexual and reproductive health child marriage |
| title | Exploring the effect of early menarche on sexual violence among adolescent girls and young women in southeastern Ghana: a longitudinal mediation analysis |
| title_full | Exploring the effect of early menarche on sexual violence among adolescent girls and young women in southeastern Ghana: a longitudinal mediation analysis |
| title_fullStr | Exploring the effect of early menarche on sexual violence among adolescent girls and young women in southeastern Ghana: a longitudinal mediation analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring the effect of early menarche on sexual violence among adolescent girls and young women in southeastern Ghana: a longitudinal mediation analysis |
| title_short | Exploring the effect of early menarche on sexual violence among adolescent girls and young women in southeastern Ghana: a longitudinal mediation analysis |
| title_sort | exploring the effect of early menarche on sexual violence among adolescent girls and young women in southeastern ghana a longitudinal mediation analysis |
| topic | menarche sexual violence adolescent youth sexual and reproductive health child marriage |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/26410397.2023.2244271 |
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