Histories of child maltreatment and psychiatric disorder in pregnant adolescents.

Objective: The study investigated histories of child maltreatment and psychiatric disorder in a high-risk sample of pregnant adolescents.

Method: Cross-sectional data were obtained for 252 pregnant adolescents from high school, hospital, and group home settings in Montreal (Canada). Adolescents completed a child maltreatment questionnaire and a psychiatric interview on lifetime conduct and major depressive disorders. Latent class analysis was used to model the association between child maltreatment and psychiatric disorder.

Results: Analyses indicated two latent classes: pregnant adolescents with no reported child maltreatment history (79%) and those with multiple forms of maltreatment (21%). There was no association between the child maltreatment latent variable and major depressive disorder. Rather, depression was related specifically to one form of maltreatment (i.e., sexual abuse, odds ratio = 2.60). Depression also showed a significant relationship with conduct disorder (odds ratio = 3.70). Pregnant adolescents with multiple forms of child maltreatment had a fourfold risk of also having conduct disorder, compared with nonmaltreated adolescents.

Conclusions: In this sample of pregnant adolescents, prior experience of multiple forms of child maltreatment was prevalent, as were depression and conduct disorder. Clinicians need to screen for histories of child maltreatment and psychiatric disorder and to introduce effective interventions for pregnant adolescents and their children.