Title: Age at First Marriage and Women’s Psychosocial Wellbeing in the Amhara Region,
Ethiopia
Version: 5 Date: 21 Feb 2025
Reviewer's report:
PEER REVIEWER ASSESSMENTS:
OBJECTIVE - Full research articles: is there a clear objective that addresses one or several
testable research questions? (Brief or other article types: is there a clear objective?)
Yes - there is a clear objective
DESIGN - Is the current approach (including controls and analysis protocols) appropriate for
the objective?
Yes - the approach is appropriate
EXECUTION - Are the experiments and analyses performed with sufficient technical rigor to
allow confidence in the results?
Yes - experiments and analyses were performed appropriately
STATISTICS - Is the use of statistics in the manuscript appropriate?
No - there are issues with the statistics in the study
INTERPRETATION - Is the current interpretation/discussion of the results reasonable and not
overstated?
Yes - the author's interpretation is reasonable
OVERALL MANUSCRIPT POTENTIAL - Has the author addressed your concerns sufficiently
for you to now recommend the work as a technically sound contribution? If not, can further
revisions be made to make the work technically sound?
Probably - with minor revisions
PEER REVIEWER COMMENTS:
GENERAL COMMENTS: The paper has been reviewed tremendously and necessary changes
have been activated in the text in line with the reviewers’ comments in the last review round.
However, there are minor concerns that the authors are yet to address satisfactorily as indicated
below.
REQUESTED REVISIONS:
The analysis section in the method section needs to be provided. The statistical methods used
during the data analysis processes and what they were applied to should be included in the
section. For instance, linear regression analysis was used to ……. The models' assumptions
(What are the tests conducted to ensure that the assumptions were not violated?) should be
provided and all the diagnostic mechanisms involved before the choice of the model for the
analysis be included. (Not addressed). Line 456 in the method section should be expanded to
accommodate the suggestions.
The conceptual framework is expected to provide the linkages between the independent,
intervening, and dependent variables by defining the relevant objectives for a research process
and mapping out how they come together to draw coherent conclusions. A single conceptual
framework is sufficient for a study. I am not convinced that what the authors referred to as
a conceptual framework in this study truly represents it. A revision is therefore suggested. A
chart that depicts the linkages between the variables is strongly recommended. Meanwhile, this
study would require a strong theoretical foundation and its underlying assumptions that the
authors engaged while examining the relationship between age at first marriage and women’s
psychosocial well-being within the study’s context. (Not addressed!).
Lines 152 – 188: Analytical framework: This should be a conceptual framework, not an
analytical framework. The narratives provided in the section might not be relevant. The authors
are expected to provide the conceptual framework for the study because the study was designed
to examine the relationship between the ‘age at first marriage’ and ‘women’s psychosocial
wellbeing’. The framework (a diagram) is a complex interplay between individual factors
(including age at first marriage), socioeconomic factors (e.g., gender roles, cultural norms,
access to support system, socioeconomic status, etc..), and psychosocial well-being. Therefore,
the earlier suggestions on how to present this should be strictly adhered to.
New observations:
Lines 34 – 151: The introduction section is lengthy (5 pages). The section should be summarized
into 2-3 pages while maintaining the important information in the text.
This study will be better as a standalone ‘quantitative paper’ instead of using a mixed-method
approach. The qualitative component in my view was not properly conducted and does not
contribute meaningfully to the study’s main goal. Besides, it distorts the information flow in the
paper. It should be removed and might be considered as another paper if properly refined.
Table 4 was not described in the text.
An overall model that examines the relationship between age at first marriage and women’s
psychosocial well-being (a combination of social capital and self-esteem) should be included.
ADDITIONAL REQUESTS/SUGGESTIONS:
N/A