Depressive symptomatology in pregnant adolescents: considerations for care. 2023

Madeleine F Wittenberg, and Shannon Fitzgerald, and Emily Pluhar
Division of Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital.

Adolescents who are pregnant experience higher levels of depressive symptoms than nonpregnant peers and pregnant adults. Clinicians caring for youth are often the first point of clinical contact for pregnant adolescents but report low confidence in assessing and treating reproductive health concerns. In the current review, we outline risk factors for depressive symptoms among pregnant adolescents and provide guidance on best practices in assessment and treatment of depressive symptoms in this pediatric sub-population. Depressive symptoms are persistent across pregnancy. In adolescents, they are linked to greater risk of suicidal ideation, suicidal behavior, and nonsuicidal self-injury. Risk factors for prenatal depressive symptoms among adolescents include lower levels of income, history of depression, exposure to childhood maltreatment and/or recent abuse, and/or lifetime exposure to racial/ethnic discrimination. These risk factors likely interact with each other. Clinicians should assess carefully for depressive symptoms in all pregnant adolescents using a standardized, validated measure supplemented by thoughtful clinical interviewing. Clinicians can educate adolescents on the distinction between symptoms of pregnancy versus symptoms of depression. We encourage clinicians to increase their comfort in providing psychopharmacological treatment, consulting with colleagues in psychiatry, and referring adolescents for psychopharmacological treatment and therapy as needed.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D011247 Pregnancy The status during which female mammals carry their developing young (EMBRYOS or FETUSES) in utero before birth, beginning from FERTILIZATION to BIRTH. Gestation,Pregnancies
D002648 Child A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL. Children
D002649 Child Abuse Abuse of children in a family, institutional, or other setting. (APA, Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms, 1994) Abuse Experiences, Childhood,Child Neglect,Child Neglect Experiences,Child Neglect, Physical,Childhood Abuse Experiences,Childhood Neglect Experiences,Neglect Experience, Childhood,Neglect Experiences, Childhood,Physical Neglect, Childhood,Child Maltreatment,Child Mistreatment,Abuse Experience, Childhood,Abuse, Child,Child Neglect Experience,Childhood Abuse Experience,Childhood Neglect Experience,Childhood Physical Neglect,Childhood Physical Neglects,Experience, Child Neglect,Experience, Childhood Abuse,Experience, Childhood Neglect,Maltreatment, Child,Mistreatment, Child,Neglect Experience, Child,Neglect, Child,Neglect, Childhood Physical,Neglect, Physical Child,Physical Child Neglect,Physical Child Neglects
D003863 Depression Depressive states usually of moderate intensity in contrast with MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER present in neurotic and psychotic disorders. Depressive Symptoms,Emotional Depression,Depression, Emotional,Depressive Symptom,Symptom, Depressive
D005260 Female Females
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000293 Adolescent A person 13 to 18 years of age. Adolescence,Youth,Adolescents,Adolescents, Female,Adolescents, Male,Teenagers,Teens,Adolescent, Female,Adolescent, Male,Female Adolescent,Female Adolescents,Male Adolescent,Male Adolescents,Teen,Teenager,Youths
D000328 Adult A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available. Adults
D012307 Risk Factors An aspect of personal behavior or lifestyle, environmental exposure, inborn or inherited characteristic, which, based on epidemiological evidence, is known to be associated with a health-related condition considered important to prevent. Health Correlates,Risk Factor Scores,Risk Scores,Social Risk Factors,Population at Risk,Populations at Risk,Correlates, Health,Factor, Risk,Factor, Social Risk,Factors, Social Risk,Risk Factor,Risk Factor Score,Risk Factor, Social,Risk Factors, Social,Risk Score,Score, Risk,Score, Risk Factor,Social Risk Factor
D059020 Suicidal Ideation A risk factor for suicide attempts and completions, it is the most common of all suicidal behavior, but only a minority of ideators engage in overt self-harm. Ideation, Suicidal,Ideations, Suicidal,Suicidal Ideations

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