Teenage pregnancy: use of drugs in the third trimester and prevalence of psychiatric disorders.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the prevalence of psychiatric disorders during pregnancy, the prevalence of cocaine and marijuana use during the third trimester of gestation and the socio-demographic characteristics of a population of low-income teenagers.


METHODS
One thousand pregnant teenagers were evaluated using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview, and a socio-demographic and socio-economic questionnaire at the obstetric center of a public hospital in São Paulo, Brazil. Hair sample was collected for analysis.


RESULTS
Of the 1000 pregnant teenagers interviewed, 53.6% were poor, 90.4% were unemployed, 92.5% were financially dependent and 60.2% dropped out of school. Those using drugs during the third trimester of pregnancy were equal to 6% (marijuana: 4%, cocaine: 1.7%, both: 0.3%). Those having at least one psychiatric disorder equaled 27.6%. The most frequent diagnoses were depression (12.9%), posttraumatic stress disorder (10.0%) and anxiety disorders (5.6%).


CONCLUSIONS
Unstructured families, dropping out of school, unemployment and a low level of professional training are all contributing factors to the maintenance of an unfavorable socio-economic environment in which there is a high prevalence of cocaine and marijuana use during the third trimester of pregnancy and an abnormally high incidence of psychiatric disorders.
Mitsuhiro
Sandro Sendin
SS
Research Unit of Alcohol and Drugs, Department of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. mitsuhiro@uol.com.br
Chalem
Elisa
E
Barros
Marina Moraes
MM
Guinsburg
Ruth
R
Laranjeira
Ronaldo
R
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D019970:Cocaine-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D017831:Diagnosis, Dual (Psychiatry); D005260:Female; D006197:Hair / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D002189:Marijuana Abuse / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires