Settembre 2020 - Volume XXXIX - numero 7
Ricerca
1UONPIA Territoriale e Psicopatologia dell’Età Evolutiva, ASST “Santi Paolo e Carlo”, Milano
2Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università “Milano-Bicocca”
3UO di Neuropsichiatria infantile, ASST “Santi Paolo e Carlo”, Milano
Indirizzo per corrispondenza: alessandro.albizzati@asst-santipaolocarlo.it
Key words: Motherhood in adolescence, Psychopathology, Risk factor
Background - Motherhood in adolescence is associated with numerous risk factors that
could have a negative effect on the well-being of the mother, on her parenting skills and
on the relationship with her child.
Aims - To assess the psychopathological profile and psychosocial risk factors of 104
adolescent and young mothers (age range 13-21) who were recruited at the Child Neuropsychiatric
Unit of ASST “Santi Paolo and Carlo” Hospital (Milan, Italy).
Materials and method - 3 months after giving birth, mothers filled in a personal data
sheet; maternal attachment models and reflective functioning were evaluated with Adult
Attachment Interview and the presence of maternal adverse childhood experiences were
analysed with CECA. Depressive risk with EPDS, anxiety risk with STAI-Y and parenting
stress with PSI-SF were also assessed.
Results - 75% of mothers have a low socio-economic level and 80% have low levels of
education. In 79% of the cases, the mothers do not work and 50% of them interrupted
their studies. Pregnancy is mostly not desired (76%) and the majority of them have a
family history of parenthood in adolescence. On a psychopathological level, depressive
and anxious risks are high. Most adolescent and young mothers have an insecure attachment
model with low reflective functioning; moreover, 51% of the mothers have experienced
at least one adverse childhood experience and adverse experiences are often
cumulative.
Conclusion - The study shows a high-risk psychopathological and psychosocial profile of
motherhood in adolescence, which can have an effect on the mother's health, affecting
her ability to interact and build an adequate relationship with her child. It is therefore
important to implement early interventions to support the child-adolescent mother relationship
from the earliest phases, promoting maternal mentalization and sensitivity.
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