Examining the associations between social support and postpartum depression symptoms among adolescent mothers in Nairobi, Kenya

Le résumé fourni par la source

Globally, adolescent mothers are at increased risk for postpartum depression (PPD). In Kenya, 15% of adolescent girls become mothers before the age of 18. While social support can buffer a mother’s risk of PPD, there are gaps in knowledge as to whether—and which types—of social support are protective for adolescent mothers in Kenya. Understanding the associations between support and postpartum depression symptoms among adolescent mothers can inform mental health interventions. Cross-sectional data of adolescent mothers ≤ 1 year postpartum (aged 14–19 years old) in an informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya (N = 193) were used in analyses. Participants with scores ≥ 10 on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 were classified as having postpartum depressive symptoms. To fully examine the different ways that social support might matter for adolescent mothers, we examined several domains of social support: child’s father support during pregnancy, parental support during pregnancy, parental support of girl’s education, membership in a social club, having a good female friend and having a supportive female adult one can turn to for help. We used bivariate and adjusted modified Poisson regression with robust standard errors to examine the associations between support measures and depressive symptoms, controlling for relevant covariates. One-quarter of participants experienced postpartum depressive symptoms (24.9%). Adolescent mothers who reported their mothers or their fathers as being very supportive of girls’ education had a lower risk of depressive symptoms (ARR 0.35, 95% CI 0.20–0.61; ARR:0.34, 95% CI 0.13–0.90, respectively) than those whose mothers or fathers were less supportive. Adolescent mothers who had a good female friend to confide in had decreased risk of depressive symptoms (ARR 0.61; 95% CI 0.37–0.99). Having a mother or father being very supportive of girls’ education and having a good female friend reduced risk of depressive symptoms. With the unique challenges of early childbearing and high adolescent birth rates in Kenya, interventions which increase parental and peer support during pregnancy and the postpartum period could improve adolescent mothers’ mental health. Adolescent mothers are at increased risk for postpartum depression (PPD) as compared to older mothers. In Kenya, 15% of adolescent girls give birth before the age of 18. Social support can reduce a mother’s risk of PPD. Yet no studies focus on understanding whether social support reduce adolescent mothers’ risk of PPD symptoms in Kenya. Understanding the associations between support and postpartum depression symptoms among adolescent mothers can help in developing mental health interventions. We used data from 193 adolescent mothers ≤ 1 year postpartum (aged 14–19 years old) in an informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya. Our analysis shows that 24.9% of adolescent mothers experienced depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms were lower for adolescent mothers who reported that their mothers or their fathers were very supportive of girls’ education. Also, adolescent mothers who had a good female friend to confide in had lower depressive symptoms. In sum, having a mother or father being very supportive of girls’ education and having a good female friend reduced risk of depressive symptoms. Interventions that increase parental and peer support during pregnancy and the postpartum period could improve adolescent mothers’ mental health.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.