Examining the Relationship Between Black Racial Identity Clusters and Postpartum Depressive Symptoms

Abstract

Background: This study examined the relationship between racial identity clusters and postpartum depressive symptoms (PPDS) in Black postpartum mothers living in Georgia. Aims: A cross-sectional study design using Cross’s nigrescence theory as a framework was used to explore the relationship between Black racial identity and PPDS. Method: Black mothers were administered online questionnaires via Qualtrics. A total sample of 116 self-identified Black mothers were enrolled in the study. Participants ranged in age from 18 to 41 years ( M = 29.5 ± 5.3) and their infants were 1 to 12 months old ( M = 5.6 ± 3.5). The majority of mothers were married or cohabitating with their partner (71%), had a college degree (53%), and worked full-time (57%). Results: Hierarchical cluster analysis identified six racial identity clusters within the sample: Assimilated and Miseducated, Self-Hating, Anti-White, Multiculturalist, Low Race Salience, and Conflicted. A Kruskal-Wallis H test determined there was no difference in PPDS scores between racial identity clusters. Conclusion: This study is the first to explore the relationship between Black racial identity clusters of postpartum mothers and their mental health. Findings emphasize the complexity of Black racial identity and suggest that the current assessment tools may not adequately detect PPDS in Black mothers. The implications for these findings in nursing practice and future research are discussed.

Racial Identity Clusters and Their Relation to Postpartum Maternal Functioning in Black Women

“…Additionally, Black people with a strong sense of pride in being Black are less likely to report depressive symptoms than those with a negative regard for being Black (Neblett et al, 2013). However, a prior study (Floyd James et al, 2021) did not find an association between racial identity and postpartum depressive symptoms in Black women. Since maternal functioning may serve as a proxy for postpartum depressive symptoms (Barkin et al, 2017), it is prudent to investigate the relationship between maternal functioning and racial identity types in postpartum Black mothers to determine possible associations.…”

“…A few of the racial identity clusters in this study are relatively new or slightly different than those previously identified. Low Race Salience is an ambiguous racial identity, so there are conflicting findings regarding its correlation to mental health and functioning in Black adults (Floyd James et al, 2021;Worrell et al, 2006). Additionally, the Multiculturalist cluster in this study had low scores in the Afrocentric subscale, indicating the women in this cluster did not place high importance on being Black.…”

“…This study is a secondary analysis of a cross-sectional study designed to examine and describe the racial identity attitudes of postpartum Black women living in Georgia (Table 1) (Floyd James et al, 2021). The study also captured data that measured the mental health status of postpartum Black mothers and the interaction with their infant.…”

“…The original study was conducted in accordance with prevailing ethical principles, and Institutional Review Board approval was obtained from Georgia State University and the Georgia Department of Public Health. Details regarding the original study are available elsewhere (Floyd James et al, 2021).…”

“…This statistical analytic method was used to reflect the complexity of racial identity in Black postpartum women and resulted in six racial identity clusters being identified: Low Race Salience, Assimilated and Miseducated, Self-hating, Anti-white, Multiculturalist, and Conflicted. The full details of the process and description of the clusters have been published elsewhere (Floyd James et al, 2021), but Table 1 provides the name, size, and description for each of the six previously identified racial identity clusters used in this analysis.…”