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Young mums face higher depression risk Article date: 2008-11-14 18:11:36
Women who give birth as teenagers or in their early 20s appear to be more likely to suffer depression, according to a new study.
A study at Cardiff University looked at 176 families and found that 41.9 per cent of teenage mums suffered from ante-natal depression.
This was a significantly higher rate than in the 23 to 38-year-old age group, in which just 18 per cent of mothers suffered from ante-natal depression.
Cerith Waters, who presented the findings at a British Psychological Society conference in Liverpool, said: "Young mums can be very vulnerable and it is clear from these results that they need much more support, not only after the birth, but before as well."
The study also found that children born to young mums tend to have more emotional problems and a lower-than-average IQ.
According to Netmums, around ten per cent of all pregnant women suffer from depressive symptoms during their pregnancy.
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