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The Role of Social Support and Postpartum Depression in Adolescent Mothers

Vina Cao

Postpartum depression has been widely studied in adult women, however less is understood in adolescent mothers.  Rates of postpartum depression among adolescent mothers is significantly higher than rates among older mothers.  There are many implications that may be a result of developing postpartum depression, particularly in the formative years of an adolescent.  Some of the consequences include not being able to pick up on the infant’s hunger cues, withdrawn parenting, and long-term behavioral, emotional and health problems. Studies have shown that social support is a strong predictor of postpartum depression in adult mothers.  Adolescent mothers in particular are typically at higher risk for decreases social support due to factors such as family disapproval, peer isolation, lack of partner involvement and school dropout.  The purpose of this literature review is to understand whether social support compared to a lack of social support will impact the rates of postpartum depression among adolescent mothers.  With the knowledge behind the epidemiology, relative risk factors and outcomes among adolescent mothers and postpartum depression, we can identify the value of social support and how it contributes to the rates of postpartum depression.