Intersecting vulnerabilities and the mental health of adolescent mothers in forced displacement: A narrative review and conceptual framework

Abstract

Adolescent mothers in forced displacement experience intersecting risks related to adolescent development, displacement-related traumatic experiences and early motherhood. Despite these risks, their mental health needs remain understudied in humanitarian research and policy. This narrative review synthesizes evidence from conflict-affected settings. Drawing on literature published between 2000 and 2025, we propose the Triple Jeopardy Framework, a conceptual model describing how adolescence, forced displacement and motherhood interact to influence mental health outcomes, including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and intergenerational mental health risk. The framework distinguishes the separate risk and protective factors associated with each area, then shows how their intersections can create synergistic risk by weakening protective systems, limiting access to care and increasing psychological distress. At the same time, displaced adolescent mothers may exercise agency and draw meaning from motherhood while also experiencing significant distress and constraint. Effective responses require interventions that address structural determinants, strengthen community-based support systems, integrate maternal and mental health care and remain responsive to young mothers’ capabilities and caregiving realities. The Triple Jeopardy Framework provides a basis for developing gender-responsive, life-course approaches to adolescent maternal mental health in humanitarian settings.