A recent study from the University of Toronto Department of Psychiatry reports that teenage girls affected by mental health disorders show a higher pregnancy rate than their healthy peers. The study, lead by Dr. Simone Vigod, adds that while the overall rate of teenage pregnancy has been decreasing for the past two decades in Canada, the trend is slower amoung teenage girls affected by major mental health problems.
Many believe that adolescent girls are not yet emotionally or socially prepared for motherhood. Furthermore, this phenomenon disproportionately affects racial minorities. While the study did not consider related issues — such as miscarriages and abortions — and did not prove causation, it revealed a poorly understood association between teen pregnancy and mental health.
The study was recently published in the journal Pediatrics.
