Peer-reviewed article
Adolescent Pregnancies and Perinatal Mental Health-Needs and Complex Support Options: A Literature Review.
Lesinskienė S, Andruškevič J, Butvilaitė A ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This literature review examines the mental health risks facing pregnant adolescents globally, including high rates of depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and substance use. The review identifies key needs of pregnant adolescents: adequate sexual and reproductive health services, legal rights protection, accessible healthcare, and socioeconomic support. The analysis reveals significant gaps in current support systems and calls for multidisciplinary approaches to improve mental and physical health outcomes.
Key points
- Adolescent pregnancy is associated with high rates of depression, suicidal ideation, low self-esteem, substance use, and anxiety
- Co-occurring hardships worsen the psychological well-being of pregnant adolescents
- Key needs include adequate sexual and reproductive health, legal rights, high-quality accessible healthcare, and socioeconomic support
- Current support systems have diverse gaps, particularly in social services, reproductive health consultations, and mental health support
- Multidisciplinary approaches and effective support strategies are needed to secure the well-being of pregnant adolescents
Limitations
As a literature review, this document synthesizes existing research but does not present original data or evaluate the effectiveness of specific interventions with quantified outcomes. The global scope means findings may not apply uniformly across different cultural, economic, or health system contexts.
Abstract
Adolescent pregnancy remains a global issue, demanding comprehensive, long-term solutions. Despite declining rates, early pregnancy leads to severe physical and mental health risks along with increased mortality. Therefore, adolescent pregnancy requires urgent global action. This literature review evaluates pregnant adolescents' psychological health issues, explores their needs, and investigates interdisciplinary approaches to enhance mental and physical health support. Studies show that adolescent pregnancy poses significant mental health risks and is associated with high rates of depression, suicidal ideation, low self-esteem, substance use, and anxiety. Co-occurring hardships further worsen psychological well-being. Found data indicated that the main needs of pregnant adolescents were adequate sexual and reproductive health; legal rights; high-quality, accessible healthcare; and socioeconomic support. The included references revealed several interventions and recommendations for supporting pregnant adolescents while highlighting challenges in the current framework. Pregnant adolescents face diverse gaps in current support systems. Further research is needed addressing social services, reproductive health consultations, and mental health support. Greater emphasis on multidisciplinary approaches and examples of effective support strategies is crucial to creating a nurturing environment and securing the well-being of pregnant adolescents.