War, school dropout and adolescent motherhood in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: evidence from the 2007 and 2013/2014 Demographic and Health Surveys

Motherhood occurs early in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). According to the 2007 and 2013/2014 Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), about 19 and 21% of adolescents had at least one child during adolescence. In addition, during the First and Second Congo Wars, schools were closed, and many school-age girls dropped out of school as a result. This study aimed to analyze the variation in the risk of adolescent motherhood according to the war phases in the DRC and the effect of war exposure during primary school on the risk of adolescent motherhood. This study used pooled 2007 and 2013/2014 DRC DHS data, including 28,822 women. A discrete-time event history model was used to analyze changes in the probability of adolescent motherhood during the war phases. The Cox model was used to analyze the effect of exposure to war during primary school on the risk of adolescent motherhood. The findings showed a decrease in the probability of adolescent motherhood during the First Congo War and an increase during the Second Congo War, with a stronger effect in the Kivu region. In addition, exposure to war during primary school was associated with an increased risk of adolescent motherhood, with a less pronounced effect in Kivu. Teenage marriage and early sexual activity were the main mechanisms through which exposure to war during primary school increased the risk of adolescent motherhood. The First and Second Congo Wars caused girls in the DRC to drop out of school, exposing them to early sexual debut and adolescent marriages, which ultimately led to adolescent motherhood. To reduce the prevalence of adolescent motherhood, girls in the DRC need to be followed up and supported to complete their primary education. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2024.