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Cited by 314Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive HealthChild and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional DevelopmentMaternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum

Social consequences of psychiatric disorders, II: Teenage parenthood

Ronald C. Kessler, Patricia A. Berglund, C L Foster, W. Brian Saunders, Paul Stang, Ellen E. Walters·1997·American Journal of Psychiatry
DOI 10.1176/ajp.154.10.1405
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Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The subject of this study was the relation between retrospectively reported early-onset psychiatric disorders and subsequent teenage parenthood in the general population. METHOD: The data were from 5,877 respondents aged 15-54 years in the National Comorbidity Survey, a nationally representative household survey. Information on respondents' DSM-III-R anxiety disorders, mood disorders, substance abuse disorders, and conduct disorder, age at the birth of the first child, and teenage sexual activity was collected in face-to-face interviews. RESULTS: Early-onset psychiatric disorders were associated with subsequent teenage parenthood among both females and males, with significant odds ratios of 2.0-12.0 and population attributable risk proportions of 6.2%-33.7%. Disaggregation analyses showed that disorders were associated with increased probability of sexual activity but not with decreased probability of using contraception. CONCLUSIONS: These results add to a growing body of evidence that psychiatric disorders are associated with a variety of adverse life consequences. The current policy debate concerning universal insurance coverage needs to take this into consideration. Planners of interventions aimed at preventing teenage pregnancy should consider including a mental health treatment component in their intervention packages. Mental health professionals treating adolescents need to be sensitized to their higher risk of pregnancy, while family doctors and specialists treating teenage mothers or their children need to be sensitized to the mothers' higher risk of psychiatric disorder.

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Crossref · 10.1176/ajp.154.10.1405

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  • Major depressive disorder and several other early-onset mental disorders significantly predict increased teen childbearing, and the overall associations are due to increased sexual activity rather than decreased contraceptive use.

    “MDD and a number of other early-onset mental disorders were significant predictors of increased teen childbearing. Disaggregation found that the overall associations were due to disorders predicting increased sexual activity but not decreased use of contraception.”

    From The Costs of Depression (2012) · cites this paper as [32]

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Authors
Kessler, R. C., Berglund, P. A., Foster, C. L., Saunders, W. B., Stang, P., & Walters, E. E.
Affiliations
Harvard University (US)
ORCID
Venue
American Journal of Psychiatry
Publisher
American Psychiatric Association Publishing
Published
1997-10-01
Volume
154
Issue
10
Pages
1405-1411
ISSN
  • 0002-953X (ISSN-L)
  • 1535-7228
DOI
10.1176/ajp.154.10.1405
OpenAlex
W1241963946
Cited by
314
References
32
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 10 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 19 · 2013: 15 · 2012: 16
FWCI
15.08
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • American Journal of Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (5r01mh052861-04)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (MH52861, R01MH046376, MH-49098, MH 46376, R01MH049098)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
Keywords
teenage parenthood, adolescent mental health, adolescent pregnancy, teenage sexual activity, contraceptive use, anxiety disorders, mood disorders, substance use disorders, conduct disorder, National Comorbidity Survey, population attributable risk, mental health policy
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Mental Disorders, Contraception Behavior, Delivery of Health Care, Female, Humans, Illegitimacy, Insurance, Health, Maternal Age, Parents, Paternal Age, Pregnancy, Pregnancy in Adolescence, Retrospective Studies, Risk Factors, Sexual Behavior, Social Welfare, United States, Comorbidity, Odds Ratio, Age Distribution, Health Care Reform

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