Association of pregnancy‐related stigma and intimate partner violence with anxiety and depression among adolescents

Abstract

Introduction We explored the association between pregnancy‐related stigma and intimate partner violence (IPV) with depression and anxiety among adolescents in Uganda. Methods We interviewed a convenience sample of 100 adolescents (>18 years) who were pregnant (>3 months) or recently gave birth (<3 months) at Tororo District Hospital, Uganda. Symptoms of depression and anxiety were evaluated using the Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL‐25), physical and sexual IPV were assessed using the WHO violence against women instrument, and pregnancy‐related stigma was captured with a questionnaire. Regression models were used to evaluate associations of pregnancy stigma and IPV with depression and anxiety. Results Mean age was 18 years, 84% were primiparous, 66% were married and 57% had only primary school‐level education. About 48% women had clinically meaningful distress levels; 45% reported sexual IPV, 32% physical IPV, and 86% reported experiencing pregnancy‐related stigma. Adjusted models showed that higher levels of depression and anxiety were associated with higher report of pregnancy‐related stigma (β = .27, p = .03), physical IPV, (β = −.24, p < .01), or sexual IPV (β = −.19, p = .05), compared to those who did not. Unemployment (β = −.24, p = .01) and lower educational level (β = −.21, p = .05) were also independent predictors of depression and anxiety. Conclusion Findings suggest that IPV is common among adolescents in Uganda, as is pregnancy‐related stigma, and both are independent predictors of depression and anxiety. The implications of these findings and the need for clinical interventions for IPV among adolescents are discussed.