Adolescent Depressive Symptoms and Subsequent Pregnancy, Pregnancy Completion and Pregnancy Termination in Young Adulthood: Findings from the Victorian Adolescent Health Cohort Study

Nilsen, Wendy; Olsson, Craig A.; Karevold, Evalill; O’Loughlin, Christina; McKenzie, Maria; Patton, George C.

doi:10.1016/j.jpag.2011.06.013

« Previous Next »Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology
Volume 25, Issue 1 , Pages 6-11, February 2012

Adolescent Depressive Symptoms and Subsequent Pregnancy, Pregnancy Completion and Pregnancy Termination in Young Adulthood: Findings from the Victorian Adolescent Health Cohort Study

Wendy Nilsen, MSc
- Division of Mental Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
- Address correspondence to: Wendy Nilsen, MSc, Division of Mental Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, P.O. Box 4404 Nydalen, No-0403 Oslo, Norway; phone: +47 40 23 22 07 / +47 21 07 83 84; fax: + 47 21 07 81 00
Craig A. Olsson, PhD
- Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- School of Psychology, Deakin University, Victoria, Australia
Evalill Karevold, PhD
- Division of Mental Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
Christina O’Loughlin, PhD
- Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Maria McKenzie, BBSc(Hons)
- Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
George C. Patton, MD, FRACP
- Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

published online 17 November 2011.

Abstract

Study Objective

To examine relationships between depressive symptoms in adolescence (14-18 years of age) and becoming pregnant, completing a pregnancy (live birth) and terminating a pregnancy in young adulthood (21-24 years of age).

Participants and Design

Data from 1000 females were drawn from a larger sample of 1943 young Australians participating in a longitudinal study of adolescent health and development, followed across 8 waves from adolescence (waves 1-6) to young adulthood (waves 7 and 8).

Setting

Victoria, Australia.

Main Outcome Measures

Pregnancy, pregnancy completion and pregnancy termination between 21-24 years of age.

Results

We observed a twofold increase in the odds of becoming pregnant in those reporting persisting patterns of depressive symptoms during adolescence (2+ waves); however, after staged adjustment for adolescent antisocial behaviour, drug use and socioeconomic disadvantage, there was no evidence of association. Of particular note, and consistent with previous research, adolescent antisocial and drug use behavior were strongly associated with becoming pregnant and pregnancy termination in young adulthood.