Abstract
Teenage pregnancy increases the threat of depression because of its many factors. Pregnancy during young adulthood may also have several risk factors for depression compared to older pregnancies. However, data on depression in young adult pregnancies are lacking. This study investigated the association between teenage and young adult pregnancy and depression. Data from the Japan Environment and Children's study was used as a nationwide multicenter prospective cohort study. A multivariate logistic regression was performed to investigate the association between age groups (14–19, 20–24, 25–29, 30–34, ≥ 35 years) and depression, adjusted for behavioral and sociodemographic characteristics. Depression was assessed using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale. In total, 96,808 pregnant women responded to the questionnaire. Teenage (14–19 years) and young adult (20–24 years) pregnancy were associated with an increased risk of depression compared to older pregnancy (≥ 35 years) (teenage: OR 4.28, 95% confidence interval, CI [3.24–5.64]; young adult: OR 3.00, 95% CI [2.64–3.41]). After adjusting for covariates, the magnitude of the risk of depression was attenuated. However, teenage and young adult pregnancy remained at a significantly increased risk of depression compared to older pregnancy (teenage: OR 2.38, 95% CI [1.77–3.21]; young adult: OR 2.14, 95% CI [1.87–2.46]). Our findings indicate that teenage and young adults’ pregnancy are at an increased risk of depression compared to older pregnancy. These findings suggest prioritizing teenage and young pregnant women for prevention and interventions related to depression.
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Data Availability
Data described in the manuscript, code book, and analytic code will not be made available due to ethical restrictions and the legal framework in Japan. The Act on the Protection of Personal Information (Act No. 57 of May 30, 2003, amendment on September 9, 2015) prohibits the public deposition of data containing personal information. The Ethical Guidelines for Medical and Health Research Involving Human Subjects enforced by the Japan Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare also restrict the open sharing of epidemiologic data. All inquiries about access to data should be sent to jecs–en@nies.go.jp. The person responsible for handling enquiries sent to this e–mail address is Dr. Shoji F. Nakayama, JECS Programme Office, National Institute for Environmental Studies.
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Acknowledgements
We thank all the JECS participants. All analyses were conducted using a dataset named jecs-ta-20190930. Members of the JECS Group as of 2021: Michihiro Kamijima (principal investigator, Nagoya City University, Nagoya, Japan), Shin Yamazaki (National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba, Japan), Yukihiro Ohya (National Center for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan), Reiko Kishi (Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan), Nobuo Yaegashi (Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan), Koichi Hashimoto (Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan), Chisato Mori (Chiba University, Chiba, Japan), Shuichi Ito (Yokohama City University, Yokohama, Japan), Zentaro Yamagata (University of Yamanashi, Chuo, Japan), Hidekuni Inadera (University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan), Takeo Nakayama (Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan), Hiroyasu Iso (Osaka University, Suita, Japan), Masayuki Shima (Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya, Japan), Hiroshige Nakamura (Tottori University, Yonago, Japan), Narufumi Suganuma (Kochi University, Nankoku, Japan), Koichi Kusuhara (University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, Japan), and Takahiko Katoh (Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan).
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This study was funded by the Ministry of the Environment, Japan. The findings and conclusions of this article are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not represent the official views of the government.
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K.I., K.Y., H.M., M.S., M.N., M.K., Y.M., N.K., and Y.O. developed the study design. The JECS Group and K.Y., H.M., M.S., M.N., M.K., Y.M., N.K. conducted the research study. K.I. and Y.L. conducted the statistical analyses. K.I. drafted the manuscript. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript. K.I. accepts primary responsibility for the final content.
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The JECS protocol was approved by the Ministry of the Environment’s Institutional Review Board on Epidemiological Studies and Ethics Committees of all the participating institutions. Written informed consent was obtained from all the participants.
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Ishitsuka, K., Yamamoto-Hanada, K., Mezawa, H. et al. Teenage and young adult pregnancy and depression: findings from the Japan environment and children’s study. Arch Womens Ment Health 27, 293–299 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-023-01400-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-023-01400-6