Citation
Hall, Kelli Stidham; Richards, J.; & Harris, Kathleen Mullan (2017). Do associations between depression and unintended pregnancy among adolescent and young adult women differ by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status?. American Public Health Association. Atlanta, GA.Abstract
Objectives We investigated racial/ethnic and socioeconomic differences in associations between depression and the risk of unintended pregnancy among a nationally representative sample of adolescent and young adult women. Methods We drew upon 15 years of data from 8810 young U.S. women in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. We used Cox proportional hazard models to estimate associations between moderate/severe depression and the time to first pregnancies reported as unintended. We further examined differences in associations in depression and pregnancy in models stratified by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Results In adjusted multivariable hazard models, moderate/severe depression symptoms were associated with an increased risk of unintended first pregnancy among all women (HR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.02–1.44). In stratified models, depression increased the pregnancy risk among all minority groups (HRs, 1.36–3.25) but not among white women. Depression also increased the pregnancy risk for women whose annual income was $0–19,999 (HR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.11–1.98) or $20,000–49,999 (HR, 1.33; 95 % CI, 1.05–1.68) but not those at higher income levels. Conclusions Social disparities in relationships between depression and unintended pregnancy were noted among these young women. Findings may inform more equitable, holistic public health strategies that target depression as a modifiable risk factor for adverse reproductive outcomes during adolescence and young adulthood.Reference Type
Conference proceedingBook Title
American Public Health AssociationAuthor(s)
Hall, Kelli StidhamRichards, J.
Harris, Kathleen Mullan