Early management of depression in adolescent pregnancy: An integrative review

Abstract

The purpose of this article was to discuss the factors associated with depressive symptoms in adolescent pregnancy and its early management. An integrative review was conducted to search databases such as CINAHL, Scopus, PubMed, and DynaMed for articles from 2008-2018. Thirteen published articles were selected by the PRISMA process. The results showed that the factors related to depressive symptoms in adolescent pregnancy that had the highest significance were the stigma perspective, lack of self-esteem, lack of support from family and spouse, barriers in accessing health services, and personal characteristics such as drug use, alcohol consumption, having history of depression, and experienced abuse. The findings of early management showed five emerging themes: 1) screening in early pregnancy, 2) promoting self-esteem, 3) promoting family and spouse support, 4) providing specific health care service, and 5) cooperation of all stakeholders. Early management is significant to a decrease in the severity of depressive symptoms in adolescent pregnancy, and it requires the collaborative work of all stakeholders in the health care system, such as nurses, physicians, psychologist, and the community, including family and friends. © Behavioral Science Research Institute.