Social support moderates the relation between childhood trauma and prenatal depressive symptoms in adolescent mothers

ABSTRACT

Background

Depression is a concern during pregnancy, but it is especially prevalent for pregnant adolescents. Because prenatal depression is a strong predictor of postpartum depression and other forms of psychopathology in both mothers and children, it is important to understand potential risk and protective factors for prenatal depression.

Objectives

The present study examined whether social support buffered the impact of childhood trauma on prenatal depression, and whether social support exerted a stronger buffering effect for adolescents compared to adults.

Method

Self-reported levels of childhood trauma, social support, and prenatal depression were collected in a racially and ethnically diverse sample of 682 first-time mothers, 58% were adolescents (n = 396; M_age = 17.38 years) and 42% were adults (n = 286; M_age = 26.29 years).

Results

Using multi-group moderation analyses, we found that pregnant adolescents with more social support were buffered from the effects of childhood trauma on prenatal depression symptoms, but pregnant adults with more social support were not.

Conclusion

Findings support the stress-buffering model in that those with more stressors may benefit more from social support than those with fewer stressors. These results highlight the importance of social support and inform prenatal depression prevention/intervention strategies particularly with pregnant adolescents.

KEYWORDS:

• Prenatal depression
• adolescent pregnancy
• childhood trauma
• social support

Disclaimer

The views expressed in the submitted article are the views of the authors not an official position of any institutions or funders.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Geolocation

Data were collected at four sites across the United States in racially, ethnically, and geographically diverse locations.

Sources of support and disclosure of relationships

This work was supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development under Grant HD39456 and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute of Drug Abuse, Department of Education, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation under Grant 037224.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development [HD39456]; Center for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute of Drug Abuse, Department of Education, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation [037224].