Are adolescents more likely to have antenatal anxiety disorders than adult women? A comparison between two samples

Abstract

Background: The literature reports that teenage pregnancy is considered a risk factor for anxiety disorders (ADs). However, research on this topic is limited. This study aimed to investigate if pregnant adolescents presented a greater likelihood of having ADs by comparing two samples of pregnant women in a southern city of Brazil. We also observed the prevalence rates of antenatal ADs among adolescents and adult women.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we evaluated 1852 women from two different studies: 995 pregnant adolescents attending prenatal care in the public health system (convenience sample) and 857 pregnant women from a population-based study. We used the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI Plus) to assess antenatal ADs, using the Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) modules. The primary aim of this study was tested through multivariate analysis using Poisson regression.

Results: The prevalence of ADs was 11.0 % among pregnant adolescents and 13.8 % among adult pregnant women. Both samples presented similar rates of ADs (p = 0.065). In the adjusted analysis, maternal age did not predict antenatal ADs (PR = 0.97; p = 0.853).

Limitations: Considering the particularities of each study where the samples came from, it was not possible to include other ADs such as panic disorder or phobias.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that pregnancy in adolescence does not increase the likelihood of antenatal ADs. However, we emphasize the importance of an adequate psychological screening and care in pregnancy in order to prevent possible psychiatric disorders.

Keywords: Adolescent pregnancy; Anxiety disorders; Pregnancy; Prevalence; Risk factors.