Role of Young Women’s Depression and Stress Symptoms in Their Weekly Use and Nonuse of Contraceptive Methods

Kelli S. Hall, University of Michigan

Using weekly journal data from 689 women ages 18-20yrs participating in a longitudinal cohort study (n=8,877 weeks), we prospectively examined the influence of baseline depression and stress symptoms on weekly contraceptive method use. One-quarter of women exhibited moderate/severe depression (27%) and stress (25%) symptoms. Contraceptive nonuse occurred in 10% of weeks while coital and noncoital methods were used in 42% and 48% of weeks, respectively. In multivariate models, women with stress symptoms had twice the odds of contraceptive nonuse than women without stress (OR 2.23, CI 1.02-4.89, p=0.04). Women with depression (RR 0.52, CI 0.40-0.68, p<0.001) and stress (RR 0.75, CI 0.58-0.96, p=0.02) symptoms had lower relative risks of using long-acting methods than OCs (reference); stressed women also had higher risks of using condoms (RR 1.17, CI 1.00-1.34, p=0.02) and withdrawal (RR 1.29, CI 1.10-1.51, p=0.001). Women’s psychological symptoms predicted their contraceptive nonuse and use of less effective methods.