Submit Manuscript | http://medcraveonline.com Introduction Adolescence is the transition phase between childhood and adulthood, characterized by physical and psychosocial transformations. In this phase, young people undergo changes in body image, values, and lifestyle, moving away from the standards established by their parents and creating their own identity. 1 Although there has been a drop in fertility throughout Brazil, the situation of teenage pregnancy is worrisome. According to data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografa e Estatística-IBGE) and the Institute of Economic and Applied Research (Instituto de Pesquisa Econômica e Aplicada-IPEA), the teenage fertility rate in 2006 increased by 0.14 in the lowest economic classes. In 2007, the total number of births observed by the Unifed Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde-SUS) in the 15-19 age groups was 23%. 2 Numerous causes may be involved in the occurrence of adolescent pregnancy, particularly unwanted or unplanned pregnancies. Among these, we highlight clinical, social, cultural, and emotional factors. Consequently, there are also changes in the life project of the adolescent, limiting or delaying the possibility of engagement of these young people in society. 3 Pregnancy in adolescents is associated with low prenatal adherence, which may lead to a higher prevalence of low newborn birth weight and preterm delivery and increase the need for psychosocial support caused by pregnancy stress in this phase of life. 3 Even in studies that problematize the negativity of pregnancy in adolescence, there are indications that the phenomenon, in some contexts, may constitute a factor of development protection. For some adolescents in situations of great social vulnerability, for example, the child may represent renewed perspectives for the present and for the future, which may be a personal protective factor for the adolescent mother. 4 Depression is a public health problem that generates high costs, but it is treated with disregard by public health policy authorities. It is highly prevalent, being the most common mental disorder in primary care services, with a prevalence of 10% to 20%, and it can affect any age group. It is a disabling disease that compromises physical health and limits the activities of the affected individuals. 5 In depression, according to the diagnostic criteria of the major depressive episode by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), there must be a presence of depressive mood or a loss of interest or pleasure for at least two weeks, in addition to other related symptoms, such as psychomotor and sleep disturbances, a reduction in concentration, a change in body weight, and loss of energy. 5 The pregnancy-postpartum period is the phase with the most frequent mental disorders in women, particularly in the frst and third trimesters of gestation and in the frst 30 days postpartum, with depression being the most frequent disorder. 6 The prevalence of gestational depression is approximately 15% among developed countries and approximately 22% in developing countries. It is associated with a previous history of psychiatric disorder, sociodemographic characteristics (low income), single or separated marital status, unplanned pregnancy, teenage pregnancy, obstetric complications, smoking, alcoholism, stressful events (e.g., theft and robbery), and an absence of social support. 6 When untreated, depression during pregnancy increases the risk of using tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs and the risk of malnutrition and diffculties in following prenatal medical instructions, including reducing the frequency of consultations, which has been associated with the risk of neonatal mortality. 7 Anxiety is a psychological and physiological state that is part of the normal spectrum of human experiences. Anxiety disorders are among the most common disorders in the general population. Anxiety is considered an emotional state, with the subjective experience of fear MOJ Womens Health. 2019;8(2):154‒157. 154 © 2019 Pereira et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and build upon your work non-commercially. Depression and anxiety in pregnant adolescents Volume 8 Issue 2 - 2019 Alanna Batalha Pereira, 1 Flor de Maria Araújo Mendonça Silva, 2 Dagolberto Calazans Araújo Pereira, 2 Vinícius José da Silva Nina, 3 Eduardo Durans Figueredo 2 1 Physician, University CEUMA, Brazil 2 PhD in Public Health, University CEUMA, Brazil 3 PhD in Sciences, Federal University of Maranhão, UFMA, Brazil Correspondence: Eduardo Durans Figuerêdo, 3PhD in Sciences, Federal University of Maranhão, UFMA, Brazil, Tel+55 (98) 3214-4277, Email Received: January 23, 2018 | Published: April 02, 2019 Abstract Objective: To study depression and anxiety in pregnant adolescents. Methods: This research is a cross-sectional study in which the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was used to evaluate the level of anxiety and depression among patients. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), which aims to measure the presence and severity of depression among patients, was also applied. For purposes of analysis, the participants were divided into two groups: precocious adolescents (12 to 15 years of age) and late adolescents (16 to 19 years of age). The difference between the means observed between the groups was analyzed using Student’s t test. A value of p < 0.05 was considered signifcant. Results: The mean BDI score among the 26 precocious adolescents was 24.0, whereas among the 61 late adolescents, the same score presented a mean of 15.7 (p=0.005). In relation to depression, according to the HADS, the precocious pregnant adolescents obtained an average of 8.8 (possible depression), whereas the late pregnant adolescents presented an average of 6.9 (unlikely depression) (p=0.005). Conclusion: Depression was more intense among precocious adolescents than among late adolescents. There was no signifcant difference in the intensity of anxiety, assessed by the HADS, between precocious and late adolescents. Keywords: adolescence, pregnancy, depression, anxiety, signifcant, precocious, adolescents, signifcant MOJ Women’s Health Research Article Open Access