In their study, Dr. Jocelyn A. Lehrer and her colleagues analyzed results of a large national study of adolescent health that included 4,152 boys and girls who were interviewed at home in 1995 and followed up a year later.
The participants were assessed for the levels of depressive symptoms using a 19-item questionnaire.
Researchers found that the boys who scored higher on the depression symptom test were more likely to report not using the condoms or any other type of birth control when having sex. They were also more likely to have used drugs or alcohol before their last sexual encounter.
And the girls who scored high on the test were also less likely to have used birth control or condoms the last time they had sex, and were more likely to have had three or more sexual partners over the previous year.
Though many previous studies have suggested a link between depression and risky sex, Lehrer and her team note, their analysis is unique because it looked at a large, nationally representative sample over a one-year period.
Explaining the cause behind the sexual risks by depressed teens Lehrer said, "Youth who are both emotionally distressed and socially isolated may be more likely to seek or be successfully pressured into sexual activity, in the name of some kind of shared intimacy, or to maintain relationships that they value.
Teens may also use sex as a way to cope with their symptoms of depression, she told Reuters Health.
Lehrer said the findings of the study suggest that parents must become "familiar with signs of depression among adolescent boys and girls" and that along with "providing strong and consistent emotional support to their teens, it is important for parents to encourage and actively support their teens in seeking mental health care when needed."
The researchers noted that as many as 20 percent of adolescents may experience major depression and that half of new cases of sexually transmitted infections occur in adolescents, while teens also face a disproportionate risk of contracting HIV.
