[A comparison of teenage and adult mothers with mental diseases. Preliminary results of the project "chances for children of parents with mental diseases and/or addiction problems"].
This study enrolled mentally ill mothers from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, with children between the ages of 0 and 3 years. Using different self and expert ratings, psychological symptoms, social support, parental stress, and behavior of the children were assessed. Teenage mothers and adult mothers were compared using the mean values of the data. The data of 104 mothers were included; 46.1% of the mothers were younger than 20 years of age when they gave birth. All mothers show a variety of psychological problems. While adult mothers had significantly more affective and anxiety disorders, teenage mothers had significantly more eating disorders and sexual abuse in their histories. Young mothers reported subjectively significantly less social support and more parenting stress than older mothers. The children in both subgroups are described as unremarkable. More than 80% of the mothers had at least one contact with youth welfare, a general practitioner, or a pediatrician, while only 23% used psychiatric or psychological help. The data show a high level of stress in both groups and there is a great need for support from the medical sector as well as from youth welfare.
Klinik und Poliklinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt Universität Greifswald, Ellernholzstr. 1-2, 17475, Greifswald, Deutschland. kluth@uni-greifswald.de
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Stern
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Trebes
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Freyberger
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult