Turkısh women's experıences of early and forced marrıage: a meta-synthesıs study

The prevalence of early or forced marriage among women in Türkiye is 24.2%. The limited knowledge of family planning among these young women leads to higher rates of unintended pregnancies, postnatal depression, frequent and early pregnancies, as well as an increase in health-compromising miscarriages and curettages, which collectively contribute to elevated maternal and child mortality rates.

The study seeks to construct a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the marital experiences of women in Türkiye who were married at a young age or against their will. By synthesizing descriptive findings from qualitative studies, the research aims to develop analytical themes illuminating the multifaceted dimensions of these experiences.

A systematic review and meta-synthesis. Meta-ethnography, one of the meta-synthesis methods, was used.

A systematic literature search was conducted across six databases: Google Scholar, Cochrane, PubMed, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and YÖK Thesis. Only studies conducted in Türkiye and published in English or Turkish were included in the study. Men and minority groups (immigrant, LGBTQI+, etc.) were not included in the study. The year of marriage or participant age was not limited to obtain comprehensive results.

Reporting of the different phases of the literature search followed the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) checklist. The quality of the selected studies was evaluated using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) for qualitative research. We used thematic synthesis to analyse and synthesise the evidence, and we used the GRADE-CERQual (Confidence in the Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative research) approach to assess our confidence in each finding.

The overarching theme, "Turkish women's experiences of early and forced marriage," is subdivided into three analytical themes: factors driving early marriage, consequences of early marriage, and coping mechanisms and preventive measures. A comprehensive search was conducted in six electronic databases for qualitative studies published up to 2024, with no publication date limitation. A total of 67,745 articles were identified through the database search. As a result of the screening, 528 abstracts and 236 full texts were screened, and finally, 28 articles were included in the meta-synthesis process.

Women subjected to early marriages report enduring physical, psychological, and sexual abuse inflicted by their spouses and in-laws. These women also report encountering significant challenges during pregnancy, childbirth, the postpartum period, and motherhood. This study underscores the need for considering the intricate connections among causes, consequences, and coping mechanisms within the marriage process to prevent early and forced marriages effectively.