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

Authors

Rishika Sen, Eve Puffer, Stephanie Eagling-Peche, Khaing Zar Lwin, Jamie Lachman, Tawanchai Jirapramukpitak, Nway Nway Oo, Amanda Sim

Published in

Child abuse & neglect. Volume 182. Pages 108349. Oct 02, 2026. Epub Oct 02, 2026.

Abstract

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.

PMID:
42826697
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 03 Oct 2026.

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