Introduction: Teenage pregnancies account for approximately 6.1% of total pregnancies in
Sri Lanka. The objectives of the study were to assess obstetric and psychological outcomes
and socioeconomic determinants of teenage pregnancy.
Method: A cross-sectional descriptive study carried out on 182 pregnant teenagers for a
period of seven months. The validated translation of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression
Scale (EPDS), questions on socioeconomic status and obstetric outcomes were recorded.
Results: Teenage pregnancy rates for Singhalese, Tamil and Muslim were 87.4%, 8.2% and
4.4% respectively. The social support was adequate as 177(97%) were living with partners
or parents. Unwanted pregnancies accounted for 13(7.1%) of teenage pregnancies at term.
Outcomes were; birth weight 2.69 kg (2.57-2.81kg), pre-term labour 17(9.7%), hypertensive
disorders 20(11.1%) and perinatal depression 30(16.5%). 75(42.9%) of pregnant teenagers
were separated from one or both parents for more than six months in their childhood. There
were no pregnant teenagers from upper social class, while 69(46.6%) were from middle
and 79(53.4%) were from lower social class. Disruption to family structure and parental
educational level of primary school less had 2.32 times and 2.78 times higher risk of perinatal
depression in pregnant teenagers respectively.
Conclusion: Teenage pregnancies in Sri Lanka are unique compared to other countries as
they did not appear to be related to ethnicity and had good social support. Disruption to family
structure and socioeconomic background of the parents were risk factors for adolescent
pregnancy. Although the majority were wanted pregnancies there was a significant amount
of unwanted pregnancies at term.