Title: Protective role of ethnic identity in the association between child marriage and child maltreatment among salar mothers
ABSTRACT:Background and Objective: Existing evidence suggests that for certain ethnic minority groups, ethnic identity may play a significant role in mitigating child maltreatment. Still, its role in the intergenerational transmission of child maltreatment remains unclear. The Salar, a Turkic-Muslim ethnic minority group primarily residing in northwestern China, faces unique challenges related to child marriage and child maltreatment. In line with Hirschi’s social control theory, this study aims to investigate the impact of child marriage on child maltreatment and how ethnic identity influences this relationship among Salar mothers.
Method: A probability proportional to size (PPS) sampling approach was used to collect a random representative multi-stage cluster sample of 201 married Salar women in 2022. Random effects Poisson regression models were used to test the hypotheses.
Results: The regression models indicate that 1) child marriage is positively associated with both child abuse and child neglect; 2) ethnic identity moderates the association between child marriage and child abuse and neglect. Specifically, when ethnic identity is higher, the association between child marriage and child abuse and neglect is negative.
Conclusions: Ethnic identity may protect children from some of the negative effects associated with child marriage. Highlighting the significance of ethnic identity and cultural awareness in child protection could greatly benefit children from ethnic minority backgrounds in rural areas.
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108639
