Associations between maternal age at first birth and parenting behaviour among migrant and displaced mothers on the Thailand-Myanmar border.

BACKGROUND

Early parenthood is an established risk factor for poor maternal and child outcomes. Research on the association between maternal age at first birth and parenting behaviour remains limited in displacement contexts in low- and middle-income countries, despite the high prevalence of adolescent and young motherhood in these settings.

OBJECTIVE

This study examined associations between maternal age at first birth and three domains of parenting behaviour (positive parenting, physical maltreatment, and emotional maltreatment) among migrant and displaced mothers from Myanmar.

PARTICIPANTS AND

SETTING

The study used baseline data collected from 1666 mothers as part of a cluster randomized controlled trial of an entertainment-education intervention to promote positive parenting and reduce violence against children on the Thailand-Myanmar border.

METHODS

Maternal age at first birth was categorized into adolescent (12-19 years), young (20-24 years), and older (25+ years) motherhood. Multivariate regression models examined associations between maternal age at first birth and positive parenting, emotional maltreatment, and physical maltreatment respectively.

RESULTS

Adolescent (IRR = 1.32, CI = 1.11, 1.58) and young (IRR = 1.21, CI = 1.03, 1.43) motherhood were associated with higher incidence of physical maltreatment. Mothers who were younger at first birth also reported more emotional maltreatment and less positive parenting, but those associations were not significant at the p < 0.05 level.

CONCLUSIONS

Results indicate that younger maternal age at first birth is associated with increased incidence of physical maltreatment. There is an urgent need for interventions to prevent early motherhood and reduce negative parenting practices, particularly the use of physical violence against children, in forced migration settings.