Stark Lindsay, Roa Arturo Harker, Rodriguez Carolina, Pena Elvia Tamaity Ariza, Deitch Julianne, Seff Ilana
Washington University in St. Louis, One Brookings Dr, St. Louis, MO, 63130, USA.
Universidad de los Andes, Cra. 1 #18a-12, La Candelaria, Bogotá, Cundinamarca, Colombia.
BMC Public Health. 2025 Jun 3;25(1):2066. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-23305-y.
Venezuelan migrants in South America are at heightened risk for mental distress due to factors such as discrimination, unstable employment, and gender-based violence (GBV). Adolescent girls are an especially vulnerable group, with family dynamics playing a crucial role in this population's mental health status. This study explores how gendered household composition is associated with the mental health and well-being of forcibly displaced adolescent girls in Colombia.
This cross-sectional analysis employs baseline data from a pilot randomized controlled trial evaluating "Sibling Support for Adolescent Girls in Emergencies" (SSAGE), a whole-family, gender-transformative program aimed at improving adolescent girls' mental health and well-being. Data were collected from 186 adolescent girls. Key outcomes of interest included the Revised Children's Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS-25) and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES); predictors of interest comprised the presence of various individuals residing in the household and a measure of the number of household tasks performed by girls in the last two weeks compared to an adolescent male in the household. Linear regression models were used to estimate the relationships between predictors and outcomes for younger and older adolescent girls, separately.
Living with a male relative other than a father, brother, or grandfather was associated with higher anxiety and depressive symptoms and lower self-esteem for 13-16-year-old girls, as compared to not living with such a male relative. Adolescent girls ages 13-16 years old who reported performing a greater number of household tasks relative to their adolescent male counterpart were found to have lower self-esteem scores. For 17-19-year-old girls, living with a mother and sister was associated with lower anxiety and depressive symptoms and living with a mother was linked with greater self-esteem as compared to those not living with those family members. Additionally, 13-16-year-old girls who reported performing a greater number of household tasks relative to their adolescent male counterpart were found to have lower self-esteem scores.
Findings underscore the significance of household gender composition in relation to the mental health and self-esteem of forcibly displaced adolescent girls. Findings highlight the potential protection of a gender-transformative approach within family-centered interventions to improve forcibly displaced girls' well-being.
由于歧视、就业不稳定和基于性别的暴力（GBV）等因素，南美洲的委内瑞拉移民面临着更高的精神困扰风险。青春期女孩是一个特别脆弱的群体，家庭动态在这一人群的心理健康状况中起着至关重要的作用。本研究探讨了性别化的家庭构成与哥伦比亚被迫流离失所的青春期女孩的心理健康和幸福感之间的关联。
本横断面分析采用了一项试点随机对照试验的基线数据，该试验评估了“紧急情况下对青春期女孩的兄弟姐妹支持”（SSAGE），这是一个旨在改善青春期女孩心理健康和幸福感的全家庭、性别变革性项目。数据收集自186名青春期女孩。感兴趣的主要结果包括修订后的儿童焦虑和抑郁量表（RCADS - 25）和罗森伯格自尊量表（RSES）；感兴趣的预测因素包括居住在家庭中的各类人员的存在情况，以及与家庭中的青春期男性相比，女孩在过去两周内执行的家务任务数量的一项测量指标。线性回归模型分别用于估计年轻和年长青春期女孩的预测因素与结果之间的关系。
与没有与父亲、兄弟或祖父以外的男性亲属同住相比，13 - 16岁的女孩与这类男性亲属同住与更高的焦虑和抑郁症状以及更低的自尊相关。报告执行的家务任务数量相对于青春期男性同龄人更多的13 - 16岁青春期女孩，其自尊得分较低。对于17 - 19岁的女孩，与母亲和姐妹同住与更低的焦虑和抑郁症状相关，与没有与这些家庭成员同住的女孩相比，与母亲同住与更高的自尊相关。此外，报告执行的家务任务数量相对于青春期男性同龄人更多的13 - 16岁女孩，其自尊得分较低。
研究结果强调了家庭性别构成对于被迫流离失所的青春期女孩的心理健康和自尊的重要性。研究结果突出了在以家庭为中心的干预措施中采用性别变革性方法对改善被迫流离失所女孩幸福感的潜在保护作用。
