Addressing the Mental Health Needs of First-Time Adolescent and Adult Mothers

Depressive symptomatology rates among indigent mothers of young children are in the range of 40 – 50 percent (Lanzi, Pascoe, Keltner, & Ramey, 1999). The etiology of depression and how early and unplanned oneset of parenthood may impact the course of depression and parenting is not well-documented (Zuckerman & Beardslee, 1987). In this presentation, we explore the prevalence of depression during the prenatal and early post-natal period in a landmark NICHD 4-site longitudinal study of 682 first-time mothers (396 adolescent; 162 adult mothers matched in ethnicity and resources; and 124 matched in ethnicity but with higher resources); 65% African American, 19% European American, 14% Hispanic/Latina, and 3% of other ethnicities. Findings: (1) 58% experienced depression during the prenatal period, with 39% mild-moderate depression, 16 % moderate-severe depression, and 3 % severe depression; (2) significant difference in the percentages of both prenatal and 6-month Beck clinical ratings as a function mom group prenatally (chisquare(6) = 15.05, p<.05) and at 6 months post-partum (chisquare(6) = 21.36, p<.01), with teen mothers displaying most severe depression followed by adult low resource and adult high resource mothers (Table 1); (3) significant association between chronicity of depression and group (chisquare(6) = 18.52, p<.01), with a higher percentage of teen mothers consistently depressed (Table 2); and (4) for all mothers, as depression increased, mothers and children scored less favorably in their interactions (Table 3). Recommendations for addressing the mental health needs of first-time mothers in terms of research, clinical practice, and education will be presented.