Association between Gynecological Morbidities, Menstrual Problems and Prevalent and Incident Depressive Symptoms among Adolescent Girls: A Longitudinal Analysis from a Three-Year Cohort Survey in India

CHANDA MAURYA, International Institute For Population Sciences
T. Muhammad, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)
Waad Ali, Assistant Professor
Ayushi Das, International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, India
Parimala Mohanty, Institute of Medical Sciences & Sum Hospital,

Abstract This study investigates the prevalence of gynaecological morbidity and menstrual problems and their associations with depressive symptoms among adolescent girls in India. Data were derived from the "Understanding the Lives of Adolescents and Young Adults" (UDAYA) longitudinal survey, encompassing 11,864 adolescent girls for the cross-sectional analysis (2015-16) and 9,599 girls without depressive symptoms at baseline for the longitudinal analysis (2018-19). Multivariate logistic regression models were employed to assess the associations between gynaecological morbidity, menstrual problems, and depressive symptoms. The study found that 24.4% of adolescent girls experienced gynaecological morbidities. Girls with these conditions at baseline had significantly higher odds of developing depressive symptoms (AOR: 2.57; p<0.001) compared to those without. Similarly, the odds of new-onset depressive symptoms were higher at follow-up (AOR: 2.64; p<0.001). Menstrual problems were also linked to a higher likelihood of depressive symptoms at baseline (AOR: 2.90; p<0.001) and at follow-up (AOR: 1.81; p<0.001). The findings underscore the strong association between gynaecological health issues and depressive symptoms in adolescent girls. Early intervention programs addressing gynaecological care and mental health could reduce the burden of depression linked to menstrual health problems during this critical developmental stage.

Keywords: Health and Morbidity, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, Longitudinal studies , Children, Adolescents, and Youth

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