Role of Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration in Perceived Stress and Depressive Symptomatology Trends During Pregnancy.

Abstract

Our goal was to examine the role of race, ethnicity, and immigration status on prenatal perceived stress and depressive symptomatology trends across pregnancy in a low-income, minority population of pregnant women in urban Los Angeles. Longitudinal data on 442 Hispanic and Black women were analyzed using mixed effects models with a random intercept for participant were employed to evaluate predictors of higher perceived stress levels and probable depression across pregnancy. Compared to U.S. born Hispanic women, Black women had higher perceived stress (β 2.24; 95% CI 0.41,4.07) and higher odds of probable depression (OR 2.38; 95% CI 0.95,5.95) while Hispanic immigrants with greater than 20years of residency in the U.S. had higher odds of probable depression (OR 2.93; 95% CI 1.10,7.79). Maternal mental health among Hispanic immigrants with longer U.S. residency and Black race warrants increased attention from public health and clinical agencies.