Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Division of Children's and Women's health, Linköping University, SE-581 83, Linköping, Sweden.
Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Barnafrid, Linköping University, SE-581 83, Linköping, Sweden.
BMC Psychiatry. 2019 Apr 11;19(1):112. doi: 10.1186/s12888-019-2082-y.
Parenthood is a life transition that can be especially demanding for vulnerable individuals. Young maternal age and maternal single status have been reported to increase the risk for adverse outcomes for both mother and child. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of young maternal age and maternal single status on maternal and child mental health and child development at age 3.
A birth-cohort of 1723 mothers and their children were followed from birth to age 3. Sixty-one mothers (3.5%) were age 20 or younger, and 65 (4.0%) reported single status at childbirth. The mothers filled out standardized instruments and medical information was retrieved from the standardized clinical assessment of the children at Child Welfare Centers, (CWC).
Young maternal age was associated with symptoms of postpartum depression whereas single status was not. Young mothers were more prone to report internalizing and externalizing problems in their children, while there was no association between single status and child behavioral problems. No differences were seen on child development (CWC scores). School drop-out was, however, a more influential factor on depressive symptoms postpartum than maternal age.
Young mothers are at increased risk for symptoms of postpartum depression which indicates the need for attention in pre- and postnatal health care programs. Single mothers and their children were not found to be at increased risk for adverse outcomes. The importance of schooling was demonstrated, indicating the need for societal support to encourage adolescents to remain in school.
为人父母是一个人生的重要转折点，对于脆弱的个体来说可能特别具有挑战性。有研究表明，年轻母亲的年龄和单身母亲的身份会增加母婴双方不良结局的风险。本研究旨在探讨年轻母亲的年龄和单身母亲的身份对母婴心理健康和儿童 3 岁时发育的影响。
本研究对 1723 名母亲及其子女进行了出生队列研究，从出生一直随访至 3 岁。61 名母亲（3.5%）年龄在 20 岁或以下，65 名母亲（4.0%）在分娩时为单身状态。母亲填写了标准化的调查问卷，儿童的医疗信息从儿童福利中心（CWC）的标准化临床评估中获取。
年轻母亲的年龄与产后抑郁症状有关，而单身状态则没有。年轻母亲的孩子更容易出现内化和外化问题，而单身状态与儿童行为问题之间没有关联。在儿童发育方面（CWC 评分）没有差异。然而，与母亲年龄相比，辍学是产后抑郁症状的更重要影响因素。
年轻母亲患产后抑郁症状的风险增加，这表明需要关注产前和产后保健计划。单身母亲及其子女没有发现有不良结局的风险增加。教育的重要性得到了证明，这表明需要社会支持来鼓励青少年继续接受教育。
