Am J Public Health. 1998 Feb;88(2):266-70.
Young maternal age and depressive symptoms: results from
the 1988 National Maternal and Infant Health Survey.
Deal LW, Holt VL.
Maternal 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.
