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Young maternal age and depressive symptoms: results from the 1988 National Maternal and Infant Health Survey
1Maternal and Child Health Program, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle 98195-7230, USA.
Objectives:
The goal of this study was to provide population-based estimates of the prevalence of depressive symptoms among primiparous US adolescent mothers.
Methods:
Data from the live-birth component of the 1988 National Maternal and Infant Health Survey were analyzed.
Results:
The prevalence of depressive symptoms varied by age and race, from 14% among White adult mothers to 48% among Black mothers 15 to 17 years old. After control for income and marital status, the increased prevalence of depressive symptoms associated with adolescent motherhood was greatly diminished (for 15- to 17-year-old Black women and 18- to 19-year-old White women) or eliminated (for 18- to 19-year-old Black women and 15- to 17-year-old White women).
Conclusions:
Adolescent mothers experience high rates of depressive symptoms relative to adult mothers, and mental health and other interventions that alleviate the exacerbating influence of poverty and unmarried status are warranted.
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