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the importance of routine mental health screening during and after teen pregnancy

Author:
Emma Loker
Emma Loker
B.S.
Editor:
Aja Chavez
Aja Chavez
AMFT, APCC
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Teen motherhood is remarkably common in the US, occurring in every state and every racial and socioeconomic group.1 In fact, almost 4% of all 2023 births were to teenage moms – that’s 1 in 25!2 

Yet, despite how common teen pregnancies are, having a child during adolescence carries some risks, particularly when it comes to your mental well-being. Several mental health issues, such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), are more commonly associated with teen pregnancy than they are with adult pregnancies.  

These facts make routine mental health checks for teen moms all the more essential as maternal mental health is a national issue. This page will explore why teen mental health screening is so necessary during and after pregnancy, delving into the issues these young women face and what you can expect from your care providers.

Let’s dive in!
The Importance of Routine Mental Health Screening During and After Teen Pregnancy

How Does Teen Pregnancy Affect Your Mental Health?

Being pregnant can be a hugely disruptive time for you, impacting your sense of identity, personal and family life, physical health, sexuality, relationships, emotional experience, social life, academic performance, and plans for your future.

With such a significant life event, it’s natural that your mental and emotional life can be thrown into chaos. Mental health issues can be brought on as a result of both the physical changes and also from your thoughts about becoming a mother and the conflicts that might occur in your relationships.1

Some teen moms will be at greater risk of developing perinatal depression, which involves a major depressive episode during pregnancy or up to a year after giving birth.3 While we see depression in between 5% and 20% of nonpregnant teenagers, rates of depression in teen moms tend to be higher. They can be between 16% and 44%.1

Teen moms are also more likely to live with less financial security, which can negatively affect their mental health, parenting, and child behavior.1 These can create a cycle in which moms are further impacted emotionally, caused by both environmental and psychosocial stressors like relationships.1 

Furthermore, teen moms can struggle with PTSD because they’re more likely to be exposed to interpersonal violence and violence within their communities.1 On average, teen mothers have already experienced at least five traumatic events, including abuse or neglect from a parent, physical abuse from a romantic partner, traumatic loss, and incarceration.1

These circumstances can be so common, causing up to 50% of visits to pediatricians to be concerning some sort of behavioral or psychosocial concern.1 As a result, it’s crucial that primary care providers can detect mental health risks or conditions as early as possible with teen mental health screening techniques.1 

What Are the Psychological Stages of Pregnancy?

As well as being a time of great physical change, pregnancy can also be seen as a ‘psychological event’ since your mental and social health can change a lot. In pregnancy, you can expect to feel lots of changes to your mood, including stages of increased sleepiness, excitement, fatigue, depression, or anxiety.4 

These different psychological states might occur in response to changes to your body’s appearance, sexuality, and the shift to motherhood. Experts call pregnancy a ‘potent stressor’ as it can significantly change your mood, outlook, and emotional health.4

As a result, you should be supported as much as possible during this time. Ideally, you’d have the emotional support of a partner or family member, but professional help might be necessary, too. Mental health checkups during pregnancy can monitor how you’re doing. 

Every pregnant woman will experience some form of psychological change during this time, but some will develop more serious mental health symptoms. Identifying mental illness in teen moms should happen as soon as possible to make sure you get the care you need.

What Are the Long-Term Effects of Teen Pregnancy?

Despite the numerous mental health risks we’ve mentioned, most teen moms and their children will have positive outcomes that are equal to their peers who had children later on in life in the long run.1 

But despite the long-term outlook being generally positive, the perinatal period itself and the early years of motherhood can still be challenging. Those who experience perinatal depression can have more negative experiences during birth and breastfeeding. Their close relationships can be impacted too, as well as the emotional development of their child.3 

The mental health risks in teen moms continue after birth, mostly due to the big adjustment to the demands of parenting. In addition, moms who live in more impoverished areas often have more difficulty shouldering parenting pressures due to financial, nutritional, and educational hardship.1

Although completed suicides are rare in teen moms, they are at risk of increased rates of suicidal ideation, which is when someone has consistent thoughts about dying by suicide even if they don’t intend to act on these.1 Any teen mental health screening during pregnancy will ask you about suicidal thoughts.

While all of this can be scary, it’s important to remember one key thing: These long-term effects can be reduced with sufficient perinatal support.

How Does Unwanted Pregnancy Affect Mental Health?

Teen moms are at greater risk of developing perinatal depression if their pregnancy is unwanted or unplanned. These mothers, in particular, can experience negative impacts on their close relationships, and on their experiences of birth and breastfeeding.3 

Whether your pregnancy was unplanned or not, if you’re suffering with your mental health, it’s important to speak to your primary care provider about maternal mental health screenings. In many US states, a maternal depression screening is covered at no cost as part of your perinatal care.

How Do You Assess Perinatal Mental Health?

When teen moms get social and functional support, they’re more likely to have positive outcomes, making screening for mental health issues a crucial step in detection and eventual treatment.1 Perinatal screening for adolescents can take many forms. So, what can you expect from a mental health screening?

You might receive a Universal Screening or a questionnaire such as the Colombia Depression Scale (used to assess depressive symptoms and suicidality) or the Postpartum Depression Screening Scale.1 These screening tools for teen mental health will allow clinicians to give diagnoses or refer you to specialized services.

You might also be asked about any risk factors in your home environment such as drug and alcohol use or family conflict as these can increase the likelihood of mental health difficulties.

If you’re screened by a pediatrician and they deem you in need of extra support, they’ll be able to guide you to individual or group counseling for parental stress, advise on positive parenting techniques and infant development and care, and facilitate any necessary referrals to other services in your community.1 

One of the main benefits of screening pregnant teens for mental health issues is that symptoms of a serious condition can be detected early. In addition, healthcare providers can:

  • Inform you of signs and symptoms of mental health conditions

  • Identify if you’re high-risk

  • Reassure you that these conditions are often preventable with appropriate support

Antenatal Care and Early Identification

The antenatal period is the duration of your pregnancy before you give birth. Antenatal care will include monthly visits to your care provider (e.g., midwife or obstetrician-gynecologist) in the first two trimesters, gradually increasing to weekly visits towards your birth date.

The main purpose of these visits is to prevent, detect, and treat any health issues during your pregnancy, and any that could impact your labor. 

Alongside checking in on your physical health, you will be asked about your mental health. Different American organizations have different recommendations for maternal mental health screenings. For example, the American Psychiatric Association recommends six screenings: at least twice during pregnancy, at least once postpartum, and at the 1, 2, and 4-month well-child visits.5

Since they allow for the early detection of mental illness in pregnant teens and, therefore, directly benefit your child, teen mental health screenings are part of Medicaid’s comprehensive child benefit (EPSDT) for eligible individuals under 21. 

Addressing Specific Mental Health Risks in Teen Moms

If you’re found to be at particularly high risk of developing mental health issues in the perinatal period, you might be referred to individual or group counseling sessions. These can provide a great deal of emotional support, particularly if you meet other teen moms.

If you’re at risk because of socioeconomic factors, you may be referred to a social worker who can help with housing, schooling, and childcare difficulties. They’ll know the legal framework and what sorts of support are available to you.

You might also be referred to a local provider of teenage parenting courses. These can provide the fundamental skills needed for caring for an infant, and also help with broader things like accessing health services, food stamps, and enrolling in school.

These forms of practical and administrative support can reduce risks in your environment that pose a threat to your mental health and your child’s well-being. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if there’s a particular kind you need.

The Importance of Routine Mental Health Screening During and After Teen Pregnancy

Get a Mental Health Screening as a Teen Mom

Within this page, we outlined the mental health risk factors in adolescent pregnancy and the scope of support available to you. For extra support and in-depth teenage pregnancy mental evaluations, reach out to us here at Mission Prep. Working closely with you, our licensed professionals will help you gain a deeper understanding of your feelings throughout pregnancy and any mental health issues that might be arising.

After a comprehensive evaluation, our support can include individual and family therapy, academic planning and support, life skills courses, transitional support, and care that is centered around your desired outcomes. You’ll come away with sustainable mental health coping skills for your future after giving birth.

Reach out today for more information about teen mental health screening during pregnancy.

References

  1. Hodgkinson, S., Beers, L., Southammakosane, C., & Lewin, A. (2014). Addressing the Mental Health Needs of Pregnant and Parenting Adolescents. Pediatrics, 133(1), 114–122. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2013-0927
  2. Mickler, A., & Tollestrup, J. (2025). Teen Birth Trends: In Brief. Congress.gov. https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R45184 
  3. Dagher, R. K., Bruckheim, H. E., Colpe, L. J., Edwards, E., & White, D. B. (2021). Perinatal Depression: Challenges and Opportunities. Journal of Women’s Health, 30(2). https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2020.8862 
  4. Bjelica, A., & Kapor-Stanulović, N. (2004). Pregnancy as a psychological event. Medicinski Pregled, 57(3-4), 144–148. https://doi.org/10.2298/mpns0404144b 
  5. American Psychological Association. (2018). Position Statement on Screening and Treatment of Mood and Anxiety Disorders During Pregnancy and Postpartum. https://www.psychiatry.org/getattachment/c5db4e7b-6405-4655-aecb-bc79d5efb4ea/Position-Screening-and-Treatment-Mood-Anxiety-Disorders-During-Pregnancy-Postpartum.pdf

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