Factors Affecting Nursing Students’ Attitudes Toward Child Brides

Background: Child marriage is influenced by various factors, such as sociocultural norms and gender inequality. While this phenomenon affects both genders, it is particularly problematic for girls in traditional societies.

Aim: This study investigated the factors influencing nursing students’ attitudes toward child brides.

Methods: This descriptive and correlational study was conducted between March and April 2023. The sample consisted of 257 nursing students from a public university in Ankara, Türkiye. Data were collected online using Google Forms. The instruments used included a personal information form, the Attitudes Toward Girl Child Marriages Scale (ATGCMS), and the Gender Role Attitudes Scale (GRAS). Data were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Spearman’s correlation coefficients.

Results: The nursing students had a mean age of 20.77 ± 1.42 years. Most participants were women (87.5%). More than half of the nursing students resided in cities or large cities (53.7%). The median ATGCMS score was 14.00 (range: 12-52), and the median GRAS score was 57.00 (range: 31-75). A moderate negative correlation was found between GRAS and ATGCMS scores (P = -0.410, P < 0.001). Additionally, there was a weak correlation between GRAS scores and the number of siblings (P = -0.198, P = 0.001).

Conclusion: Nursing students demonstrated a low mean ATGCMS score, indicating that they disapprove of child marriages. Most nursing students displayed egalitarian attitudes toward gender. Furthermore, nursing students with more egalitarian gender attitudes were less likely to approve of child marriages. Gender equality was identified as the most important predictor of attitudes toward child marriage.