Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41052820›Full record

ArticleBMJ global health2025

Not one but two: cross-sectional associations among repeat pregnancy, maternal mental health and child cognitive outcomes among adolescent and young mothers in South Africa.

Lorraine Sherr, Katharina Haag, Kathryn Steventon Roberts, Lucie Cluver, Janina Jochim, Wylene Saal, Nontokozo Langwenya, Camille Wittesaele, Janke Tolmay, Marguerite Marlow and 1 more

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Article in BMJ global health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Lorraine SherrInstitute for Global Health, University College London, London, UK l.sherr@ucl.ac.uk.
Katharina HaagNorwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.
Kathryn Steventon RobertsInstitute for Global Health, University College London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-1200-5362
Lucie CluverDepartment of Social Policy and Intervention, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-0418-835X
Janina JochimDepartment of Social Policy and Intervention, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Wylene SaalSol Plaatje University, Kimberley, South Africa.
Nontokozo LangwenyaDepartment of Social Policy and Intervention, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Camille WittesaeleDepartment of Social Policy and Intervention, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-8828-5685
Janke TolmayCentre for Social Science Research, University of Cape Town Faculty of Humanities, Cape Town, South Africa.
Marguerite MarlowInstitute for Life Course Health Research, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
Elona ToskaCentre for Social Science Research, University of Cape Town Faculty of Humanities, Cape Town, South Africa.ORCID 0000-0002-3800-3173

Funding

Undetectable and Untransmittable: reducing HIV transmission among young women living with HIV, their partners and children in South AfricaK43TW011434 · FIC · UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN · PI TOSKA, ELONA · 2019 to 2023
$720k
FIC NIH HHS K43 TW011434UK National Institutes of Health Research Department of Health and Social Care MR/R022372/1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundGlobally, adolescent mothers and their children have poorer health outcomes. However, little is known regarding having multiple children as an adolescent. Analyses explore associations between having multiple versus single children on young mothers' mental health and having a sibling and child development outcomes for their children. Furthermore, maternal age when having a second child (eg, multipara adolescent or multipara adolescent-adult pregnancy) is examined in relation to maternal and child outcomes.

methodsData are drawn from a cohort of young mothers (n=1017; 10-24 years) and their children (0-68 months) residing in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Effects of having multiple versus single children on maternal mental health and child cognitive outcomes (assessed using the Mullen Scales of Early Learning) were explored using hierarchical regression models. We examined associations among primipara adolescent motherhood, multipara adolescent motherhood and multipara adolescent-adult motherhood, and child cognitive development scores.

resultsPoor maternal mental health was elevated among multipara mothers. Multipara mothers were more likely to report higher parental stress scores and lower social support scores (p=0.002-0.038). Child cognitive development scores were higher in children born to multipara mothers (those with a sibling

conclusionsHaving multiple children was associated with poorer maternal mental health. Delaying a second pregnancy until adulthood may have benefits, as sibling effects were found to be positively associated with child cognitive development scores. Formal childcare support was associated with positive child outcomes. Findings highlight the need to focus on repeat adolescent pregnancy, improve social, psychological and family planning support among young mothers with a focus on birth timing and spacing, early childhood care provision and support for young families.

Indexed as

Child DevelopmentCognitionMaternal HealthMental HealthMothersPregnancy in AdolescenceAdolescentAdultChildChild, PreschoolCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansInfantMaternal AgePregnancyChild healthMaternal health

Identifiers

PMID41052820
PMCPMC12506038

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LicenceCC BY
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.