Abstract
Background: The use of oral contraceptives (OCs) has been associated with increased incidences of anxiety and depression, for which adolescents seem to be particularly vulnerable. Rather than looking at singular outcomes, we examined whether OC use is associated with depressive and anxiety symptom trajectories from early adolescence into early adulthood.
Materials and Methods: Data from 178 girls were drawn from the Research on Adolescent Development and Relationships (RADAR-Y) younger cohort study. We used assessments on 9 waves from age 13 until 24. Developmental trajectories of ratings on the Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale (RADS-2) and the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) were compared between never and ever users of OCs.
Results: Never users showed increases in depressive and anxiety symptoms in late adolescence, whereas OC users showed a stable level of symptoms throughout adolescence. This effect remained after adjusting for baseline differences between groups in romantic relationships, sexual debut, educational level, smoking, drinking, and drug use. Age of OC use onset did not significantly predict symptom development.
Conclusions: OC use in adolescence was related to an altered developmental trajectory of internalizing symptoms, in which OC users did not show an increase in depressive and anxiety symptoms in late adolescence, whereas never users did. The question remains whether this altered symptom trajectory can be considered a protective effect of OC use on psychopathology. Additional research is needed to improve our understanding of the long-term consequences of OC use on mental health.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 799470 |
| Pages (from-to) | 1-10 |
| Journal | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
| Volume | 13 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 23 May 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Data of the RADAR (Research on Adolescent Development and Relationships) study were used. RADAR has been financially supported by main grants from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (GB-MAGW 480-03-005 and GB-MAGW 480-08-006), Stichting Achmea Slachtoffer en Samenleving (SASS), the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research to the Consortium Individual Development (CID; 024.001.003), a grant of the European Research Council (ERC-2017-CoG - 773023 INTRANSITION), and various other grants from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research, VU University Amsterdam, and Utrecht University. IE was funded by a Vici innovational research grant (453–15–005) from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research. The funders had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2022 Doornweerd, Branje, Nelemans, Meeus, Montoya, Engelhard, Baas and Gerritsen.
Funding
Data of the RADAR (Research on Adolescent Development and Relationships) study were used. RADAR has been financially supported by main grants from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (GB-MAGW 480-03-005 and GB-MAGW 480-08-006), Stichting Achmea Slachtoffer en Samenleving (SASS), the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research to the Consortium Individual Development (CID; 024.001.003), a grant of the European Research Council (ERC-2017-CoG - 773023 INTRANSITION), and various other grants from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research, VU University Amsterdam, and Utrecht University. IE was funded by a Vici innovational research grant (453–15–005) from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research. The funders had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Keywords
- adolescence
- anxiety
- depression
- development
- oral contraceptives (OCs)
