MD Magazine (2/25, Walter) reports research indicates that nearly two out of every three “young mothers reported at least one mental health problem, with almost 40% of the study population having more than one mental health disorder.” Included in the study were “450 mothers younger than 21 and 100 comparison mothers older than 30 years old at their first delivery living in urban and rural central-west Ontario.” Researchers then “compared I the age-matched young mothers with 15-17 year old women without children (n = 630) from the 2014 Ontario Child Health Study.” The study revealed that “young mothers were” two to four “times as likely to have an anxiety disorder, such as generalized anxiety disorder, separation anxiety disorder, social phobia, and specific phobia, as well as” AD/HD, “oppositional defiant disorder, or conduct disorder.” In addition, they were two to four “times more likely to have more than one psychiatric problem when compared to the older control group of mothers or the women between 15-17 years old.” The findings were published online Feb. 10 in the Journal of Adolescent Health.
Related Links:
— “Young Mothers Face More Mental Health Hurdles, “Kenny Walter, MD Magazine, February 25, 2020