Pregnancy

Pregnant millennials highly affected by depression, new research reveals

Being pregnant is a roller-coaster ride for the majority of women and while it brings highs, it definitely can be the cause of some lows too.

Mental heath issues such as postnatal depression, anxiety and PTSD can all be triggered due to pregnancy and giving birth.

An interesting new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association: Network Open (JAMA) has looked at the mental wellbeing of pregnant women in the early 1990's and then followed up with how their daughters/female partners of their children coped while pregnant a generation later.

According to Newsweek, the study uncovered that depression in young mothers is 51 percent more common than it was 25 years ago. Factors contributing to this include: academic pressure, perfectionism, lower wages and social media, among others. 

Which sadly isn't very surprising. 

The study followed two generations of expectant mums, aged between 19 and 24 years old.

The findings showed that women who gave birth between 2012 and 2016 had higher score on their depressive symptom tests than their mothers who were pregnant between 1990 and 1992.

In the 2,400 first-generation mothers, 17 percent suffered with prenatal depression.

However, with their daughters, one-fourth of young women reported high scores of symptoms such as sleeping problems, unnecessary self-blame and anxiety.

JAMAS official findings stated that, ''they highlight the need for increased support for young pregnant women to minimise the potentially far-reaching effects of depression on mothers, their children, and future generations.

A 2018 Center for Health Statistics only solidifies this evidence. 

It found that, ''women (10.4%) were almost twice as likely as were men (5.5%) to have had depression.''

With all of these facts and figures in mind, we must all take our mental health seriously and practice self-care – it is of the upmost importance. 

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