“I Just Start Crying for No Reason”: The Experience of Stress and Depression in Pregnant, Urban, African-American Adolescents and Their Perception of Yoga as a Management Strategy

Abstract

Purpose Perinatal health disparities are of particular concern with pregnant urban African American adolescents who have high rates of stress and depression during pregnancy, higher rates of adverse pregnancy and neonatal outcomes, and many barriers to effective treatment. The purpose of this study was to explore pregnant urban African American teenagers’ experience of stress and depression and examine their perceptions of adjunctive non-pharmacologic management strategies, such as yoga. Methods This community-based qualitative study utilized non-therapeutic focus groups to allow for exploration of attitudes, concerns, beliefs and values regarding stress and depression in pregnancy and non-pharmacologic management approaches, such as mind-body therapies and other prenatal activities. Findings The sample consisted of pregnant African-American low-income adolescents (n=17) who resided in a large urban area in the United States. The themes that arose in the focus group discussions were: (1) stress and depression symptoms are pervasive in daily life; (2) participants felt a generalized sense of isolation; (3) stress/depression-management techniques should be group-based, interactive, and focused on the specific needs of teenagers; (4) yoga is an appealing stress-management technique to this population. Conclusions The findings from this study suggest that pregnant urban adolescents are highly stressed, they interpret depression-like symptoms to be signs of stress, they desire group-based, interactive activities, and they are interested in yoga classes for stress/depression management and relationship-building. It is imperative that healthcare providers and researchers focus on these needs, particularly when designing prevention and intervention strategies.

Moms growing together: Piloting action methods and expressive arts in a therapeutic group for teen mothers

“…In this study, psychological distress was conceptualized broadly and was measured with three tools (depression, anxiety, trauma). The program was designed to be teen‐friendly and consistent with teen mothers’ preference for group‐based, interactive approaches (Kinser & Masho, ). In the hands of skilled facilitators, MGT was found to be safe and acceptable.…”

Promoting Teen Mothers' Mental Health

“…Teen mothers describe their depression-like symptoms as stress and indicate that they are interested in learning stress management strategies (Kinser & Masho, 2015). We recommend that nurses teach these strategies in groups, so that teen mothers gain peer support and learn what has worked for others.…”

Yoga for Chronic Depressive Symptoms in Pregnancy: A Commentary and Call to Action

“…First, it is a commonly practiced PA modality in the United States and is generally easily available through in-person classes or internetbased resources [52][53][54]. Second, my team's research suggests that pregnant women are explicitly expressed interest in yoga for symptom management [55][56][57]. We have recently completed focus groups with pregnant women and new mothers during which we learned that many women do not receive encouragement from their obstetricians to engage in PA [57,58].…”

“…Second, my team's research suggests that pregnant women are explicitly expressed interest in yoga for symptom management [55][56][57]. We have recently completed focus groups with pregnant women and new mothers during which we learned that many women do not receive encouragement from their obstetricians to engage in PA [57,58]. Moreover, the majority of women interviewed expressed interest in engaging yoga-based PA as a therapeutic modality for mental and physical well-being [57,58].…”

“…We have recently completed focus groups with pregnant women and new mothers during which we learned that many women do not receive encouragement from their obstetricians to engage in PA [57,58]. Moreover, the majority of women interviewed expressed interest in engaging yoga-based PA as a therapeutic modality for mental and physical well-being [57,58]. Third, my team's research with depressed non-pregnant women has shown that gentle yoga-based PA reduces ruminations and depressive symptoms and increases selfawareness of symptoms and SM of depression.55,56 Fourth, the practice of yoga during pregnancy appears to be safe, may improve quality of life, and may decrease maternal depressive symptoms, stress, ruminations, and anxiety [59][60][61][62].…”