Teenage Pregnancy - Mental Health Impacts

Teenage Pregnancy

 Why rush it? Why not wait? Each and every action has a consequence, some more severe than others.

Teen pregnancy should not be taken lightly. Indeed, any pregnancy where the mother is not physically and psychologically capable to properly nurture the child is a bad decision. However, I will prioritize this post to voicing out the psychological and physical impacts of teen pregnancy on both mother and child. 

Supporting a teenage mum and guiding her through her journey is more empowering for her than you can ever imagine. These pregnancies are most likely to be fatherless ones. Almost two-thirds of teenage mums rely on public assistance. A variety of circumstances then come into play. Do the parents support their daughter? Are they willing to be there for her when she needs them most? That's the most impactful decision. A great deal of care and succour, which will come best, from her own parents is essential for a successful birth.

SOLANGE KNOWLES, AN AMERICAN SINGER-SONGWRITER
- ALSO A TEEN MOTHER AT THE TENDER AGE OF 17

An unhealthy mother will give birth to an unhealthy child. Statistics show that teen pregnancy is associated with long-term poverty, lower education. Risks for the child are increased health problems, incarceration, and facing unemployment as a young adult. Therefore, if teen pregnancies are reduced, many of its associated problems will be too.  

Symptoms of depression are likely to occur due to the immense stress and anxiety faced by these adolescents. In the Journal of Paediatric & Adolescent Gynecology, a study was taken in which the impact of depressive symptoms on birth outcomes of infants born to adolescent mothers was measured. The data collected was of 294 African-American and Latina adolescent mothers - with a mean age of 16.2 years, at the Washington Hospital Center. Adolescents were categorized by the following based on their self-reports of depressive symptoms:

• No reported symptoms
• Depressive symptoms without SI/SA (suicide ideation or attempt)
• Depressive symptoms with SI/SA

- The main outcome of the study measured infant birth weight and gestational age at delivery.

Results:

• "Over one-quarter of pregnant adolescents in this study reported symptoms of depression"
• "Adolescents reporting depressive symptoms with SI/SA delivered babies that weighed 239.5 grams less than babies born to mothers reporting depressive symptoms without SI/SA"
• "There was no association between reported symptoms and gestational age"

In conclusion, the study shows that pregnant adolescents are more prone to depression than non-pregnant adolescents. Furthermore, those with suicidal ideation are likely to deliver infants of lower birth weight compared with teens reporting depressive symptoms without SI/SA and those reporting no symptoms. 

Risks factors concerning the maternal psychological well-being and the outcome of pregnancy include the low birth weight (weight at birth of 2500 g or less) and preterm delivery (delivery at less than 37 weeks from the last menstrual period). Both outcomes being a major cause of infant death and morbidity. 

A solution to this is to look into early screening and treatment of depression for young pregnant women to reduce any risks for their child and for their own mental state.