Anaba, Emmanuel Anongeba, Wright, Melissa  ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2744-4504, Alor, Stanley Kofi, Lindeman, Madison, Salifu, Yula, Adjorlolo, Samuel and Manu, Adom
2025.
Contraceptive use and mental health among women of reproductive age: insights from the Mozambique Demographic and health survey.
BJPsych International
10.1192/bji.2025.10045
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Abstract
Background Contraceptive use among women of reproductive age has increased significantly worldwide. However, little is known about contraceptive use and mental health among women in sub-Saharan African countries. Aims This study sought to investigate contraceptive use and self-reported measures of depression and anxiety symptoms among reproductive-age women in Mozambique using the most recent national data. Method The study used secondary data from the 2022–2023 Demographic and Health Survey of Mozambique. A total of 6910 (weighted) sexually active women aged 15–49 years were included in this analysis. Anxiety and depression scores were measured using self-report questionnaires. Linear regression analysis was conducted to assess the associations between depression and anxiety and contraceptive use. Results The prevalence of contraceptive use was 36.41%. About half of the hormonal contraceptive users (49.38%) were using injectables and 25.99% were using implants. In total, 9.14 and 2.83% of the women had moderate or high scores of self-reported anxiety respectively. Additionally, 5.24 and 5.42% reported moderate or high scores of depressive symptoms respectively. The use of hormonal contraceptives decreased anxiety symptoms by 0.47 units (β = −0.47; 95% CI −0.75 to −0.18; P < 0.001) compared with no contraceptive use. The use of hormonal contraceptives decreased depressive symptoms by 0.75 units (β = −0.75; 95% CI −1.11 to −0.39; P < 0.001) compared with no contraceptive use. Conclusions This study has demonstrated a naturalistic association between contraceptive use, particularly hormonal contraceptives, and decreased anxiety and depression among Mozambican women of reproductive age. This likely reflects a complex, bi-directional relationship, the nature and mechanism of which should be investigated in further experimental research.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Date Type: | Published Online |
| Status: | In Press |
| Schools: | Schools > Psychology Research Institutes & Centres > Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC) |
| Publisher: | Cambridge University Press |
| ISSN: | 2056-4740 |
| Funders: | Wellcome Trust |
| Date of First Compliant Deposit: | 11 July 2025 |
| Date of Acceptance: | 30 May 2025 |
| Last Modified: | 16 Jul 2025 15:56 |
| URI: | https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/179733 |
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