Parent daughter relationship quality and depressive symptoms among unmarried adolescent girls in Bangladesh: Evidence from 2019/20 Bangladesh Adolescent Health and Wellbeing Survey

Adolescent depression is linked to poor academic, social, and long-term health outcomes. This study aimed to assess the association between parent daughter relationship quality (PDRQ) and depression among unmarried adolescent girls in Bangladesh. Data from 3,851 never-married girls (ages 15-19) in the 2019-2020 Bangladesh Adolescent Health and Wellbeing Survey were analyzed in this cross-sectional study. Depression was assessed using the PHQ-9. A binary PDRQ variable (high vs low) was developed capturing how much adolescents enjoy time with parents, share private matters, and emotional closeness. Survey-weighted ordinal logistic regression examined associations, adjusting for age, residence, wealth, schooling, and employment. 50.18% of participants reported at least mild depressive symptoms. Higher PDRQ was significantly associated with lower depression severity (adjusted OR = 0.92, 95% CI: 0.89-0.95, p < 0.001). Older age (19 vs. 15: adjusted OR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.03-1.64, p = 0.026) and rural residence (ref: urban; adjusted OR = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.72-0.95, p = 0.008) were associated with greater depression severity. The findings suggest that enhancing parents-daughter relationships could reduce depressive symptoms among adolescent females in Bangladesh. Interventions focusing on improving family communication and emotional support may contribute to better mental health outcomes in this population. • 50.2% of girls reported depressive symptoms. • Higher parent-daughter relationship quality linked to lower depression severity. • Urban girls had lower odds of depression than rural counterparts. • Depression severity increased with age (19 years vs 15 years) among girls.