Depression Among Adolescent Mothers Enrolled in a High School Parenting Program

Abstract

Depressive symptoms in adolescent mothers have been associated with a variety of negative outcomes for both the adolescent mother and her child. The purpose of this article is to describe the dimensions of the Beck Depression Inventory®-II and to provide a discussion of how depression may appear in adolescent mothers. This descriptive study involved 45 adolescent mothers in a high school-based parent support program. The average score on the depression inventory for the adolescent mothers was 12.27 (SD = 8.57). One third (n = 15) of the adolescent mothers displayed depressive symptoms. All of the adolescent mothers reported experiencing increased symptoms related to loss of energy, changes in sleep patterns, changes in appetite, and tiredness/fatigue. It is important for nurses working with adolescent mothers to understand that what may be perceived as a normal adaptation to motherhood may in fact be a deeper emotional issue such as depression.