The Association Between Age at First Live Birth and Depression: Results From NHANES 2005-2018

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Health
• Mental Health
• Public Health

Background:

• Investigates the link between age at first live birth and depression in women.
• Utilizes data from the National Health and Nutritional Examination Surveys (NHANES) from 2005-2018.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the association between age at first live birth and depression among women aged 12 years or older.
• To understand the impact of reproductive timing on mental health outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study design.
• Analysis of data from 10,399 participants.
• Depression assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9).
• Age at first live birth categorized as <18, 18-25, and >25 years.

Main Results:

• Women with depressive symptoms were more likely to be single, have lower socioeconomic status, smoke, and have sleep disorders.
• Younger age at first live birth correlated with higher depression prevalence.
• First birth at 18-25 (47% decrease) or >25 (76% decrease) significantly reduced depression risk.
• An 11% depression reduction for every year increase in age at first birth was observed.
• Multivariate analyses confirmed a significant association after adjusting for confounding factors.

Conclusions:

• Age at first live birth is significantly associated with depression in women.
• Reproductive history, specifically age at first birth, should be considered in mental health assessments.
• Sociodemographic and lifestyle factors play a multifaceted role in this relationship.