Adolescent pregnancy and early gestation depressive symptoms in rural Bangladesh: Is there an association?

Our results suggest that adolescent pregnancy is associated with depressive symptoms in early gestation in rural Bangladesh. Furthermore, we found that more than one in ten pregnant adolescents experiences symptoms of depression in the early stages of pregnancy, underscoring a serious public health issue. Public health policies should aim at preventing adolescent marriage and pregnancy in the first place, and programs should be launched to mitigate depressive symptoms among pregnant adolescents.