ArticleReproductive health2023
Socio-ecological factors associated with probable depression among pregnant and parenting adolescent girls: findings from a cross-sectional study in Burkina Faso and Malawi.
Article in Reproductive health, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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13 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 9 citations in OpenAlex.
- Early motherhood, early burden: depression among teenage pregnancy and early motherhood in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Pooled it
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- Midwives' perspectives and care practices for pregnant adolescents: a qualitative study in Northern Malawi.Reproductive health · 2026Article
- Understanding the transition to motherhood among adolescent mothers in rural Pakistan: Implications for mental health.PloS one · 2026Article
- Unseen and underserved: A scoping review of perinatal mental health interventions in Sub-Saharan Africa.PLOS mental health · 2026Article
- "I am a mother but still a girl": a phenomenological study of postpartum emotional distress among adolescent mothers in Ghana.International journal for equity in health · 2025Article
- Depression among pregnant teenagers receiving antenatal care from primary healthcare facilities in Mbarara city, Southwestern Uganda.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Article
- Examining the associations between social support and postpartum depression symptoms among adolescent mothers in Nairobi, Kenya.Reproductive health · 2025Article
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- Article
- Motherhood and mental health of adolescent girls in low- and middle-income countries: A scoping review.PLOS global public health · 2025Article
- "I felt I needed help, but I did not get any": A multiple stakeholder qualitative study of risk and protective factors, and barriers to addressing common mental health problems among perinatal adolescents in Malawi.Global mental health (Cambridge, England) · 2023Article
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11 authors at 4 institutions in 4 countries.
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Abstract
backgroundPregnant and parenting adolescent girls are at risk of poor mental health because of stigma and social exclusion. Despite one in four girls starting childbearing by the age of 19 in Africa, no study, to the best of our knowledge, has examined the multi-layered factors (individual, family, friends, and neighborhood-related factors) associated with depressive symptoms among pregnant and parenting girls in Africa. Our study contributes to addressing this gap by examining the socio-ecological factors associated with depression symptoms among pregnant and parenting adolescent girls.
methodsOur study adopted a cross-sectional design. Between March and September 2021, we interviewed 980 pregnant and parenting adolescent girls in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, and 669 in Blantyre, Malawi. We recruited pregnant and parenting adolescent girls in randomly selected urban and rural enumeration areas in Burkina Faso (n = 71) and Malawi (n = 66). We assessed depressive symptoms using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), which generated an overall score of 27. We considered a score of 10 or more as probable depression. We also obtained information on individual, family, friends, and neighborhood characteristics. We employed logistic regression models to examine the significant factors associated with probable depression among pregnant and parenting adolescent girls.
resultsThe prevalence of probable depression was 18.8% and 14.5% in Burkina Faso and Malawi, respectively. At the individual level, having secondary education was significantly associated with a lower likelihood of probable depression in Malawi (AOR: 0.47; 95% CI 0.27-0.82) but not in Burkina Faso. At the family level, denying paternity (AOR: 3.14; 95% CI 1.34-7.11 in Malawi) and no parental support (AOR: 2.08; 95% CI 1.22-3.55 in Burkina Faso) were associated with higher odds of probable depression. At the community level, perceived neighborhood safety was associated with a lower likelihood of probable depression in Malawi (AOR: 0.74; 95% CI 0.61-0.89) and Burkina Faso (AOR: 0.81; 95% CI 0.73-0.90). Having a safety net within the community was associated with lower odds of probable depression in Burkina Faso (AOR: 0.87; 95% CI 0.78-0.96) but not in Malawi.
conclusionDepressive symptoms are common among pregnant and parenting adolescents, suggesting the need to screen them regularly for depression during antenatal and postnatal visits. Factors associated with depression among pregnant and parenting girls operate at multiple levels suggesting a need for multilevel interventions that address all areas of vulnerabilities.
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