Pregnancy is demanding at any age. But for adolescents, it comes on top of everything else they are dealing with: school, relationships, and the passage into adulthood. Add the hormonal shifts and shock of an unplanned pregnancy, and the weight of societal disapproval, and it is little wonder that pregnant adolescents are at heightened risk of mental disorders.
Existing studies have largely focused on quantifying the burden of mental health problems and their risk factors among pregnant and parenting adolescents. Less attention has been paid to understanding how pregnant and parenting adolescents themselves experience, interpret and navigate these mental health challenges in their everyday lives.
