Teenage pregnancy, attachment style, and depression: A comparison of teenage and adult pregnant women in a Portuguese series

Abstract

The aim of this Portuguese study is to compare the experience of pregnancy in teenage years and later adulthood and to examine insecure attachment style as a risk factor for depression during pregnancy. The Attachment Style Interview (ASI; Bifulco, Moran, Ball, & Bernazzani, 2002) and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS; Cox, Holden, & Sagovsky, 1987) were administered to 66 pregnant adolescents and 64 adult women. Pregnant teenagers were found to be nearly three times more likely to have an insecure attachment style of Enmeshed, Angry-Dismissive, or Fearful style than adults, all at high levels of impairment (54% vs.19%, p < .02). Logistic regression showed, when all risk factors were entered, highly Enmeshed style and poor partner support provided the best model for depression with age at pregnancy no longer adding. Insecure attachment style should be addressed in prevention and intervention strategies with teenage mothers.

Keywords:

• Attachment
• depression
• adolescent mothers
• pregnancy

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank all the mothers that participated in this study. We also appreciate the participation of Ana Marques, Ana Rodrigues, and Cristina Cabeleira in the data collection. This research was supported by a grant from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation Human Development and Health Service (Proc. 48914/02-04) and a grant from the Foundation for Science and Technology (POCTI/SAU/14109/1998).