AI Article Synopsis

  • Pregnancy can negatively affect the mental health of adolescent girls and young women (AGYW), particularly in resource-limited areas with high HIV rates.
  • A study in rural KwaZulu-Natal found that the prevalence of probable common mental disorders (CMD) among AGYW was 19.1%, with pregnancy linked to a slightly higher risk of CMD.
  • Younger AGYW (ages 13-15) showed a stronger correlation between recent pregnancy and mental health issues, indicating the need for targeted mental health interventions for this age group.

Article Abstract

Pregnancy can place adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) at risk of poor mental health. However, evidence linking youth pregnancy to mental health in resource-limited settings is limited, especially where HIV incidence is high. We analysed a population-representative cohort of AGYW aged 13-25 in rural KwaZulu-Natal to assess how adolescent pregnancy predicts subsequent mental health. Among 1851 respondents, incident pregnancy (self-reported past-12-month) rose from 0.7% at age 14 to 22.1% by 18. Probable common mental disorder (CMD; 14-item Shona Symptom Questionnaire) prevalence was 19.1%. In adjusted Poisson regression recent pregnancy was associated with slightly higher probable CMD (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] 1.19, 95%CI 0.96-1.49), and stronger association among 13-15 year-olds (aPR 3.25, 95%CI 1.50-7.03), but not with HIV serostatus. These findings suggest a possible incremental mental health impact of being pregnant earlier than peers, pointing to the need for age-appropriate mental health interventions for AGYW in resource-limited settings.

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Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11259029PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2024.2371414DOI Listing

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