Sensitivity to early and forced marriages: Scale development and validation

Area of Science:

• Sociology
• Public Health
• Criminology

Background:

• Early and forced marriages pose significant societal and health risks.
• Measuring societal sensitivity is crucial for developing effective interventions.
• Existing instruments may not adequately capture multifaceted societal attitudes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a reliable instrument for measuring societal sensitivity to early and forced marriages.
• To provide a tool for researchers and policymakers to assess public attitudes.
• To contribute to the understanding of factors influencing societal acceptance of child marriage.

Main Methods:

• Instrument development based on Radical Feminist Theory, Broken Windows Theory, and Theory of Change.
• Data collection from 451 adult participants in Türkiye.
• Criterion validity assessed using the Attitudes toward Girl Child Marriages Scale.
• Reliability analysis using Cronbach's alpha.

Main Results:

• The final scale comprises 10 items across three sub-scales: Social Sensitivity, Health Sensitivity, and Legal Sensitivity.
• The scale demonstrated good reliability with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.85.
• Criterion validity was established, indicating the scale effectively measures the intended construct.

Conclusions:

• The developed scale is a valid and reliable tool for assessing societal sensitivity to early and forced marriages.
• This instrument can aid in evaluating the effectiveness of awareness campaigns and policy interventions.
• Further research can utilize this scale to explore regional and cultural variations in attitudes toward child marriage.