Maternal Sociocultural Stress Predicts Infant Temperament: The Buffering Role of Self-Esteem, Self-Efficacy and Community Cohesion

• In Event: Moderators and Protective Factors for Pre- and Post-natal Maternal Distress Associations with Child Neurodevelopmental Outcomes

Abstract

Background & Objectives: A substantive body of evidence suggests that prenatal exposure to maternal stress impacts a child’s behavioral and emotional development (Van den Bergh et al., 2017). Less research has attended to models of culturally-specific stressors, despite well-established racial/ethnic disparities in health and development (D’Anna Hernandez et al., 2015). There is a need to further understand prenatal exposure to stressors that disproportionately or uniquely impact racial/ethnic minority populations, including discrimination and acculturative stress. Additionally, increasing knowledge of both pre and postnatal factors that may mitigate risk, such as social support, self-esteem, cultural values, maternal sensitivity, and parenting self-efficacy, could have important implications for intervention.

Methods: Study participants were a subsample of 142 mothers and their children (52.8% male) drawn from a larger longitudinal study beginning in pregnancy. All participants identified as racial/ethnic minorities, with 69.7% of mothers identifying as Latinx, 14.1% as Asian, 9.9% as Multi-ethnic, and 6.1% as Black. Measures of mothers’ exposure to day-to-day discrimination, major events of discrimination and acculturative stress were collected at 25 weeks of pregnancy. Mothers’ levels of community cohesion, social support, self-esteem, familism, and collectivism were also measured prenatally. Sense of self-efficacy in the nurturing role was collected at 6 months postpartum, and maternal sensitivity at 12 months postpartum. Infant emotional development was assessed at 12 months of age (Infant Behavior Questionnaire; IBQ).

Results: Maternal exposure to day-to-day discrimination (r = .21, p = .03) and acculturative stress (r = .23, p = .02) were associated with higher overall infant negative affect, adjusting for family income and cohabitation status during pregnancy. Community cohesion (b = -.01, t = -2.05 p = .04), self-esteem (b = .01, t = 1.95, p = .05), and parenting self-efficacy (b = -.02, t = -2.30, p = .02) buffered the relation between acculturative stress and infant negative affect (see Fig. 1 as an example). Sex also moderated the relation between acculturative stress and negative affect, suggesting this relation existed for females but not males (b = .02, t = 2.40, p = .02; see Fig. 2).

Discussion: Findings from this study highlight the need for greater clinical and research attention to sociocultural stressors among pregnant women of color, including exposure to discrimination and acculturative stress and how they influence infant development. Results suggest prenatal maternal exposure to racism and discrimination may have negative implications for infant development, particularly in regard to negative affect. Additionally, these effects differ across sex. This study also contributes knowledge of potential protective factors at both the pre and postnatal stages, suggesting the importance of both individual (i.e., self-esteem and self-efficacy) and interpersonal (i.e. community cohesion) domains. Research, prevention, intervention, and policy implications to improve prenatal and infant health, development, and health equity will be discussed.

Authors

• Sabrina R. Liu, University of California Irvine Conte Center
  Presenting Author

• Curt Sandman, University of California, Irvine
  Non-Presenting Author

• Elysia Davis, University of Denver
  Non-Presenting Author

• Laura Glynn, Chapman University
  Non-Presenting Author