16 and Pregnant: Anorexia, depression and teen pregnancy as survival technique

Kayla’s story is a perfect example of the link between psychological disorders and teenage pregnancy. Researchers have found that while young mothers do exhibit higher levels of depression, it was usually present prior to the pregnancy and not as a result of it. Dr. Stefanie Mollborn of the University of Colorado says that “psychologically distressed girls are at risk for teen childbearing” but Dr. Julie Quinlivan of the University of Melbourne believes that early pregnancy is “a positive adaptive mechanism for humans raised in a hostile environment.” Dr. Quinlivan found that for many pregnant young women “the conscious or unconscious prospect of pregnancy represents a potential space in which to rethink behaviours that may be harmful to themselves as a future mother, and also to their child.”