(P24-039-24) Prevalence of Depression Among Pregnant Adolescents and Adolescent Mothers in Ghana

Objectives: Maternal depression can hinder a mother's ability to provide adequate nutritional care to her infant and young child which may lead to undernutrition. Adolescent pregnancy and motherhood pose specific difficulties that may impact mental health and lead to depression, which can consequently affect children’s nutritional outcomes. Although research has investigated adult mothers' depression, limited studies have focused on depression in adolescent mothers and pregnant adolescents. This study aimed to describe the prevalence of depression among pregnant adolescents and adolescent mothers in Ghana.

Methods: As part of the Healthy Adolescent Nutrition in Ghana (HANIG) study, 12-19 year-old pregnant adolescents (n=216) and adolescent mothers (n=206) aged 12-19 years were enrolled from communities within and around the Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana. Maternal depression symptoms were assessed using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) Questionnaire, a 20-item tool that asks about participant’s experience with depressive symptoms in the past 7 days preceding the interview. Responses to each item ranged from 0 (rarely) to 3 (all the time), with a total score range of 0-60. Participants scoring ≥ 16 were classified as showing symptoms of depression. Those with scores below 16 were classified as not showing any symptoms of depression. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize outcome variables, along with socio-demographic characteristics.

Results: On average, participants were aged 17.8±1.2 years, mostly single (77.7%) and not enrolled in school (75.6%) at the time of the study. The average CES-D score was 16.1±8.5 and did not differ between pregnant adolescents and adolescent mothers (15.5±0.6 vs 16.7±0.6, P=0.159). Overall, 45% of the study participants reported symptoms of depression with no significant difference between pregnant adolescents and adolescent mothers (42% vs 47%, P=0.30).

Conclusions: Depression is prevalent among pregnant adolescents and adolescent mothers in this Ghanaian population. Understanding the determinants of depression among this group and its potential consequence on child nutrition outcomes would be important for targeting interventions to improve child outcomes.

Funding Sources: Oklahoma State University