Early Marriage and Its Relationship with Child Development

Background: Early marriage is still a problem in the world, especially in developing countries including Indonesia. The problem of early marriage in Indonesia takes place both in urban and rural areas with diverse population economic status. Objective: This study aimed to analyze the relationship between early marriage and child development. Method:this study used a cross-sectional approach design. the independent variable in this research was early marriage, while the dependent variable in this research was the development of the child. The population in this research was all toddlers residing in a region of Situbondo Regency. The total sample was 67 respondents who got married when 18 years old or younger. Data were collected through interviews and the denver development screening test (DDST) II. data were analyzed with the Pearson correlation test with p < 0.05. Results: Early marriage has no association with child growth but it has a relationship with child development. in this study there was a significant relationship found between early marriage of the mother and child development (p