Poster #30 - Examining the Association Between Everyday Discrimination, Prenatal Stress, and Social Support for Black Pregnant Women

• In Event: Poster Session 06

Abstract

While it is expected that all women experience stress during pregnancy, there is reason to believe that not all women experience the same kinds or amount of stress. Because Black women experience discrimination, they likely have different lived experiences and are more likely to have higher stress during pregnancy as well as poorer perinatal outcomes when compared to White women (Ekeke et al., 2020). In fact, more than one-third of pregnancy-related deaths in the United States are Black women (Creanga et al., 2017). Research has also shown that Black women are two to three times more likely to have infants born prematurely and with a low birthweight (Martin et al., 2018). Black women are also more likely to report fewer buffers against stress during pregnancy (Borders et al., 2015). The research is clear that Black women experience poorer perinatal outcomes; however, it is not clear how Black women experience pregnancy-related stressors or how their experiences may be associated with social support. To begin to address these gaps, we explored in a sample of Black women the associations between everyday discrimination experiences and the frequency and perception of stress, anxiety, and depression during pregnancy, as well as their perceived social support.

The sample is comprised of 270 self-identified Black pregnant women. The average week of pregnancy was 22.44 while the average age was 28. Socioeconomically, the sample was low-risk (average education: bachelor’s degree, average income: $125,001-$150,000). Participants completed an online survey with the following validated measures: Prenatal Distress Questionnaire (PDQ; Yali & Lobel, 1999), Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS; Cox et al., 1987), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI; Spielberger et al., 1970), Everyday Discrimination Scale (EDS; Williams et al., 1997), the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS; Zimet et al., 1988). The PDQ, EPDS, and STAI were modified from their original format to ask about the frequency (typical) and perceived stress (novel) of each item. Participants also responded to open-ended questions regarding additional salient stressors and their perception of how race has impacted their pregnancy.

Descriptive statistics are included in Table 1. Results indicated that the Black women reported a moderate level of everyday discrimination, ranging from a few times a year to a few times a month. Participants also reported moderate levels on each prenatal stress variable and moderate levels of social support. To explore the associations between experiences of discrimination, stress, and social support, multiple regressions were estimated (See Table 2). Results showed a significant relationship between everyday discrimination and all but one variable: the perception of stress on the STAI. The more discrimination a participant reported, the higher their total scores were for the frequency and perception of pregnancy-specific anxiety and frequency of state-trait anxiety. Unexpectedly, everyday discrimination was negatively associated with frequency and perception on the EPDS. Additionally, the more discrimination one reported, the lower their perceived social supports. Additional qualitative results will be analyzed to provide depth and context to the quantitative results. This study has important implications for understanding the experiences of Black pregnant women.

Authors

• Erica Smolinski, University of Georgia
  Presenting Author

• Kristen L Bub, University of Georgia