Ayamolowo et al. (2019) | Southwest, Nigeria | West Africa | Adolescent girls (13–20 years) | Quantitative: Cross-sectional study | 12.5% of respondents reported that received low social support and 10% were categorised as severely depressed while 44.2% reported no depression. |
Aziato et al (2016) | Ghana | West Africa | Adolescent girls (10–16 years) | Qualitative: Focus group discussions | Adolescents stated that some male partners would "deny" the pregnancy or recommend an abortion, and the characters in the narratives would experience despair, depression, and regret as a result of an unwanted pregnancy. |
Bisetegn et al. (2016) | Ethiopia | East Africa | Young women (20–24 years) | Quantitative: Cross-sectional study | The prevalence of antenatal depression was found to be 11.8%. Having debt, unplanned pregnancy, history of stillbirth, history of abortion, and previous history of depression were among the factors significantly associated with antenatal depression. |
Cherenack et al. (2020) | Tanzania | East Africa | AGYW (15–21 years) | Quantitative: Cross-sectional study | Participants with moderate-to-severe depression made up 27% of the total. Suicidal or self-harming thoughts were supported by 17% of subjects. Of the individuals, 42% reported having their first sex under duress. The chance of moderate-to-severe depression was 3.16 times higher among those who reported forced or coercive first sex. |
Chiang et al. (2021) | Uganda | East Africa | Young women (18–24 years) | Quantitative: Cross-sectional study | The study sample consisted of 982 young women aged 18 to 24 who had sex before the age of 18. Those who had ever engaged in transactional sex had 5.9 times greater odds of having many sexual partners in the previous year, as well as higher odds of deliberate self-harm. |
Dietrich et al. (2021) | Soweto and Durban, South Africa | Southern Africa | Youth (16–24 years) | Quantitative: Cross-sectional study | High usage of mobile phones is linked to depression. In all, 43.3% of people reported probable depression, with women more likely to have it than males (49.0% vs. 34.9%). |
Duby et al. (2021) | South Africa | Southern Africa | AGYW (15–24 years) | Qualitative: Interviews | The narratives of stress, emotional isolation, sadness, and suicidal thoughts revealed by the respondents were linked to partnerships including violence, HIV, and pregnancy. Results indicate that a variety of mental health stressors and a lack of adequate assistance are experienced by AGYW in South Africa, which combines with SRH issues to increase their susceptibility. |
Duby et al. (2022) | South Africa | Southern Africa | AGYW (15–24 years) | Mixed method: cross-sectional survey and interviews | Results show that COVID-19 limits caused more people to feel stressed and anxious. Anxiety over domestic violence, damaged family ties, joblessness in the home, financial hardship, and food insecurity all contributed to poor mental health. |
Goin et al. (2020) | Mpumalanga, South Africa | Southern Africa | AGYW (13–21 years) | Quantitative: Longitudinal study | The prevalence of depressive symptoms in this young adolescent population was found to be 18.2% in the study, which looked at the relationship between depressive symptoms and HIV incidence among AGYW in South Africa. This prevalence was nearly twice that of a nationally representative survey of adults in the country. |
Gordon et al. (2023) | South Africa | Southern Africa | Adolescent girls and young women (15–24 years) | Quantitative: Cross-sectional study | For AGYW accessing sexual and reproductive health services, living with both parents, having transactional sex, experiencing any intimate partner violence and using drugs were all positively associated with depression symptoms. |
Govender et al. (2020) | South Africa | Southern Africa | Adolescent girls (13–19 years) | Quantitative: Cross-sectional study | In the prenatal group, the prevalence of depression was 15.9% (21/132), whereas in the postpartum group, it was 8.8% (17/194). Verbal and physical abuse have been linked to antenatal depression. |
Gust et al. (2017) | Kenya | East Africa | Women ( 18–34 years), 47% aged 18–24 years | Quantitative: Longitudinal study | Women who self-reported having a sexually transmitted infection, having a history of forced intercourse, and being worried about recent food insecurity were much more likely to have high (as opposed to low or no) psychological distress. |
Ibala et al. (2021) | Malawi and Nigeria | West Africa and Southern Africa | AGYW (13–24 years) | Quantitative: Cross-sectional study | In every country, exposure to violence was linked to higher levels of mental distress symptoms and suicidal thoughts. In Malawi and Nigeria, among individuals who experienced intimate partner violence (IPV), displaying an attitude of acceptance of IPV was linked to better mental health. In Nigeria, IPV tolerance was associated with a decreased risk of suicidal thoughts after IPV exposure. |
Jayaweera et al. (2022) | South Africa | Southern Africa | Adolescent girls and young women (13–21 years) | Quantitative: Longitudinal study | The prevalence of depressed symptoms is greater in WASH-related violence cases. Compared to AGYW who did not encounter violence while using the lavatory, those who reported experiencing violence while using the lavatory had an 18.1% greater prevalence of depression. |
Kerie et al. (2018) | Ethiopia | East Africa | Mothers (age unidentified) | Quantitative: Cross-sectional study | The study revealed that 138 (33.82%) of mothers had postpartum depression. Unplanned pregnancy, age from 15 to 24 years, and experiencing the death of an infant were among the factors significantly associated with postpartum depression. |
Kumar et al. (2018) | Kenya | East Africa | AGYW (10–24 years) | Qualitative: Interviews and focus group discussions | Results show that adolescents who were pregnant or parenting encountered several challenges, including social stigma, a lack of emotional support, limited access to healthcare, and stress related to adjusting to new living circumstances. |
Kuringe et al. (2019) | North-west Tanzania | East Africa | Out of school AGYW (15–23 years) | Quantitative: Cross-sectional study | Among AGYW who were not enrolled in school, the prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms was 36% and 31%, respectively. Once other variables were taken into account, the two characteristics that were most closely linked to experiencing anxiety symptoms were having experienced violence from sexual partners and being HIV positive. |
Larsen et al. (2020) | Western Kenya | East Africa | AGYW (15–24 years) | Quantitative: Cross-sectional study | The median age of 487 AGYW was 22, and 59 (12%) of them reported having moderate-to-severe depression (MSD). AGYW without a current partner had a higher prevalence of MSD, which was linked to HIV risk variables such as alcohol use, intimate relationship violence, forced sex, recent transactional sex, and partners ≥ 10 years older. |
Manyema et al. (2018) | South Africa | Southern Africa | Young women (18–24 years) | Quantitative: Cross-sectional study | In contrast to 18% of young women in rural areas (n = 81), 34% of urban young women (n = 161) expressed psychological anguish. Adolescents who were exposed to interpersonal violence had twice as many chances of experiencing psychological discomfort as those who were in rural areas, and 1.6 times more chances in urban areas. Only in the urban region did the association hold significance in adjusted models. |
Mathur et al. (2018) | Kenya and Zambia | East and Southern Africa | AGYW (15–24 years) | Quantitative: Cross-sectional study | Findings show that violence from non-partners significantly exacerbates poor health—it is associated with STI experience and increased anxiety and depression in both Kenya and Zambia. |
Meinck et al. (2019) | South Africa | Southern Africa | Female Adolescents (10–17 years) | Quantitative: Cross-sectional study | Results show that in the study, greater externalising issues were linked to internalising mental health distress and greater sexual risk at follow-up. |
Mthembu et al. (2021) | South Africa | Southern Africa | Adolescent girls and young women (15–24 years) | Quantitative: Cross-sectional study | AGYW experiencing intimate partner violence had higher odds of reporting psychological distress compared to AGYW who did not experience it. |
Mthiyane et al. (2021) | South Africa | Southern Africa | AGYW (13–22 years) | Quantitative: Cross-sectional study | The 2184 respondents had a probable frequency of common mental disorder (CMD) of 22.2%, which increased gradually from 10.1% among 13-year-old girls to 33.1% among 22-year-old women. AGYW who tested positive for HIV were more likely to report probable CMD. |
Musiyimi et al. (2020) | Kenya | East Africa | Adolescent girls (13–19 years) | Qualitative: Interviews and focus group discussions | This study yielded five topics related to the risk of suicide behaviour among adolescent mothers. These included the following: (i) poverty; (ii) familial rejection; (iii) intimate partner violence (IPV); (iv) social isolation and stigma from the community; and (v) long-term medical diseases. |
Muyinda et al. (2023) | Postconflict Northern Uganda | East Africa | AGYW (13–24 years) | Quantitative: Cross-sectional study | There was a 9.7% HIV prevalence among AGYW.HIV was more likely to be contracted by those who had been sexually abused during a war or likely a depression. |
Myers et al. (2021) | Cape Town, South Africa | Southern Africa | AGYW (16–19 years) | Quantitative: Cross-sectional study | In the study, findings show that multiple forms of abuse exposure have been linked to a higher incidence of anxiety and depression. |
Nabunya et al. (2020) | Southern Uganda | East Africa | In school Adolescent Girls (14–17 years) | Quantitative: Longitudinal study | The results of this study show that depression symptoms are rather common, particularly in older adolescent girls (16 years and older). 29.68% of respondents reported mild symptoms, while 16.35% reported severe symptoms. In addition, low levels of depressive symptoms were linked to family support variables and the psychological wellness of adolescents. |
Nicolete et al., 2021 | Cameroon | West Africa | Adolescent girls (younger than 20 years) | Quantitative: Cross-sectional study | It is estimated that 70.0% of teenage or young pregnant women have signs of depressive illness. Numerous circumstances, such as unexpected or unplanned pregnancy, being separated or single, having experienced melancholy and anxiety before childbirth, having had an abortion, and domestic abuse, considerably enhance this risk. |
Nwoga et al. (2021) | Rehabilitation Centre in Jos, Nigeria | West Africa | Females (20–29 years) | Quantitative: Retrospective cross-sectional study | According to the study, the most frequent mental illness among participants was depressive disorder, which affected 36.1% of them. |
Nyato et al.(2022) | Tanzania | East Africa | Adolescent girls and young women (15–23 years) | Quantitative: Cross-sectional study | Partner violence was experienced by around one in three AGYW. Partner violence was significantly associated with economic hardship, anxiety and depression symptoms, and having children. |
Olajedi et al. (2022) | Nigeria | West Africa | AGYW (14–20 years) | Quantitative: Cross-sectional study | 246 (18.1%) of the 1359 pregnant teenagers who underwent screening for depression. The mean age was 18.4, the mean gestational age was 23.8 weeks, and 58.9% of the population was either married or cohabiting. |
Oshodi et al. (2020) | South Africa | Southern Africa | Adolescent girls (14 to 18 years) | Quantitative: Longitudinal study | Among adolescent rape survivors, the prevalence of major depressive episodes, stress-related disorders, and anxiety disorders was 22.6%, 12.9%, and 16.1%, respectively. |
Osok et al. (2018) | Kenya | East Africa | Adolescent girls (15–18 years) | Quantitative: Cross-sectional study | 32.9% of the 176 pregnant adolescents in the study who were sampled between the ages of 15 and 18 tested positive for depression. |
Osok et al. (2018) | Kenya | East Africa | Adolescent girls (15–19 years) | Qualitative: Interviews | Results showed that depression, anxiety, and stress related to pregnancy are part of the four main areas of issues faced by adolescent pregnant women. |
Sakari et al. (2021) | Western Kenya | East Africa | AGYW (15–24 years) | Quantitative: Cross-sectional study | Anxiety and postpartum depression were prevalent in 65.5% and 63.3% of cases, respectively. Depression and educational level were shown to be significantly correlated. Additionally, there is a strong correlation between anxiety and schooling. |
Shanaube et al. (2022) | Zambia and South Africa | Southern Africa | Female Adolescents (15–19 years) | Quantitative: Cross-sectional study | Depressive symptoms were more common in female adolescents who reported ever having sex and being coerced into having sex. |
Tele et al. (2022) | Kenya | East Africa | Adolescents (14–18 years) | Quantitative: Cross-sectional study | Findings showed that over 43% of pregnant adolescent girls were depressed using the Patient Health Questionnaire 9. Being in school and intimate partner violence were among factors associated with depressive symptoms. |
Us-Salam et al. (2023) | Uganda | East Africa | Female adolescents (13–19 years) | Quantitative: Longitudinal study | By using fixed effects models, authors found that throughout the pandemic and the associated lockdown measures, there were increases in the Patient Health Questionnaire-8's measurements of moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms. Adolescent females who experienced a greater COVID-19 load show more severe decreases in their mental health. |
Wado et al. (2022) | Nairobi slums, Kenya | East Africa | Female Adolescents (12–19 years) | Quantitative: Cross-sectional study | 13.3% of females had depressive symptoms. 22% of girls reported experiencing physical or sexual abuse in the previous year, while around 47% of girls reported experiencing adverse life circumstances inside their families. Exposure to physical and sexual violence, the impression of neighbourhood safety, and the experience of bad life events were shown to be strongly linked with self-reported depression, even after controlling for the impact of sociodemographic characteristics. |