Incident pregnancy and mental health among adolescent girls and young women in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: an observational cohort study
Mebrahtu, Helen;
Chimbindi, Natsayi;
Zuma, Thembelihle;
Dreyer, Jaco;
Mthiyane, Nondumiso;
Seeley, Janet;
Shahmanesh, Maryam;
Sherr, Lorraine;
Harling, Guy;
(2024)
Incident pregnancy and mental health among adolescent girls and young women in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: an observational cohort study.
International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 29 (1).
ISSN 0267-3843
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2024.2371414
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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.
Filename: Incident pregnancy and mental health among adolescent girls and young women in rural KwaZulu-Natal South Africa an observational cohort study.pdf
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