Very Low Birthweight in African American Infants: The Role of Maternal Exposure to Interpersonal Racial Discrimination

Collins, James W.; David, Richard J.; Handler, Arden; Wall, Stephen; Andes, Steven

doi:10.2105/ajph.94.12.2132

Cited by 357 publications

(310 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Research on stressors for African American women reveals that during pregnancy, they anticipate their children experiencing racial inequalities which includes the possibility of negative police interactions. The psychosocial stress produced by racial and gendered inequities is associated with disproportionately higher rates of adverse birth outcomes among African American women, regardless of their socioeconomic position [11][12][13][14][15][16]. Studies have also revealed significant associations between intersectional racial and gendered stress (that includes parenting demands) and antenatal depression [17][18][19][20][21][22].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anticipated Negative Police-Youth Encounters and Depressive Symptoms among Pregnant African American Women: A Brief Report

et al. 2017

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The widely publicized violent encounters between police and African American youth have unknown consequences for the emotional and mental health of pregnant African American women. Since studies document the hypervigilance black mothers exert to protect children from violence and racism and findings also reveal the association between racial and gendered stress (which includes parenting stressors) and depressive symptoms during pregnancy, an examination of the effects of stress from anticipated negative experiences between black youth and police on maternal mental health is warranted. Between July and August 2014, 100 mostly low income pregnant African American women who lived in metropolitan Atlanta and were in their first and second trimesters completed the Edinburgh postnatal depression scale, selected items from the Jackson, Hogue, Phillips contextualized stress measure, and a demographic form. Bivariate and logistic regression analyses were conducted in response to questions that asked: (1) is the anticipation of negative encounters between black youth and police associated with antenatal depressive symptoms and (2) how does the presence of prior children, male or female, contribute to the association? For question 1, the results showed that anticipated negative African American youth-police experiences were significantly associated with antenatal depressive symptoms χ 2 (2, N = 87) = 12.62, p = .002. For question 2, the presence of a preschool-aged male child in the home was significantly associated with antenatal depression (p = .009, odds ratio = 13.23). The observed associations between antenatal depressive symptoms and anticipated negative policeyouth encounters have implications for clinical-and community-based interventions responding to the unique psychosocial risks for pregnant African American women.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anticipated Negative Police-Youth Encounters and Depressive Symptoms among Pregnant African American Women: A Brief Report

et al. 2017

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“…For instance, research has shown that clinically relevant stress-related biomarkers are higher in black than in white people, and these racial differences are not explained by SES. [42][43][44][45] For children and adolescents, discrimination related to race, ethnicity, or SES may affect the child directly. Timing of exposure to discrimination may alter its influence, with adolescents having the greatest likelihood of understanding the nature and meaning of discriminatory remarks and actions of others.…”

Section: Racial and Other Forms Of Discriminationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Researchers have found that lifelong accumulated experiences of racial discrimination are an independent risk factor for preterm delivery. 45 For researchers attempting to assess discrimination, self-report has been the traditional approach. Recent reviews have documented the strengths and limitations of several measures of perceptions of race-or ethnicity-based discrimination.…”

Section: Racial and Other Forms Of Discriminationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Race, Ethnicity, and Socioeconomic Status in Research on Child Health

Goodman¹,

Cheng²,

Bogue³

et al. 2015

Pediatrics

177

119

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An extensive literature documents the existence of pervasive and persistent child health, development, and health care disparities by race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status (SES). Disparities experienced during childhood can result in a wide variety of health and health care outcomes, including adult morbidity and mortality, indicating that it is crucial to examine the influence of disparities across the life course. Studies often collect data on the race, ethnicity, and SES of research participants to be used as covariates or explanatory factors. In the past, these variables have often been assumed to exert their effects through individual or genetically determined biologic mechanisms. However, it is now widely accepted that these variables have important social dimensions that influence health. SES, a multidimensional construct, interacts with and confounds analyses of race and ethnicity. Because SES, race, and ethnicity are often difficult to measure accurately, leading to the potential for misattribution of causality, thoughtful consideration should be given to appropriate measurement, analysis, and interpretation of such factors. Scientists who study child and adolescent health and development should understand the multiple measures used to assess race, ethnicity, and SES, including their validity and shortcomings and potential confounding of race and ethnicity with SES. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that research on eliminating health and health care disparities related to race, ethnicity, and SES be a priority. Data on race, ethnicity, and SES should be collected in research on child health to improve their definitions and increase understanding of how these factors and their complex interrelationships affect child health. Furthermore, the AAP believes that researchers should consider both biological and social mechanisms of action of race, ethnicity, and SES as they relate to the aims and hypothesis of the specific area of investigation. It is important to measure these variables, but it is not sufficient to use these variables alone as explanatory for differences in disease, morbidity, and outcomes without attention to the social and biologic influences they have on health throughout the life course. The AAP recommends more research, both in the United States and internationally, on measures of race, ethnicity, and SES and how these complex constructs affect health care and health outcomes throughout the life course.

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“…It has been firmly established that infant birth weight is not only a primary determinant of infant mortality, but that the one percent of very low birth weight occurrences (<1,500 g) accounts for more than half of all neonatal deaths and 63% of the Black-White gap of US infant mortality [1,2]. Healthy People 2010 [3] objectives include reducing the infant mortality rate to no more than 4.5/1,000 live deliveries, a reduction in incidence of moderately low birth weight (<2,500 g) to 5.0% and a reduction in incidence of very low birth weight babies (<1,500 g) to 0.9% [4].…”

Section: Introduction and Purposementioning

confidence: 99%

A Secondary Analysis of Race/Ethnicity and other Maternal Factors Affecting Adverse Birth Outcomes in San Bernardino County

Nanyonjo

Montgomery

Modeste

et al. 2007

Matern Child Health J

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Objectives-Though it is the largest county in the lower United States, minimal attention has been given to the elevated rates of poor perinatal outcomes and infant mortality in San Bernardino County. This study sought to analyze adverse birth outcomes such as low birth weight, and infant mortality as an outcome of specific proxy maternal sociodemographic factors.Methods-Data from the California Department of Health Services Office of Vital Statistics birth cohort of mothers delivering between 1999 and 2001 (N = 1,590,876 participants) were analyzed. Of those, 5.5% (n = 86,736) were births in San Bernardino County. Low birth weight, very low birth weight, death in infants less than one year of age, and other maternal sociodemographic factors were explored. All events of low birth weight and deaths among infants less than one year of age were used as significant variables in statistical models.Results-Black mothers experienced more than twice the rate of very low birth weight (3.89) than their White counterparts (1.39). The most significant contributors to adverse birth outcomes among Black women were length of gestation and maternal education, whereas the most significant predictor of infant mortality was birth weight.Conclusions-This study demonstrates that traditional risk factors such as length of gestation and maternal age only partially explain adverse birth outcomes. These findings highlight the need to advocate for the systematic collection of data on maternal education and length gestation and for the promotion of public health initiatives that address these inequities in our most vulnerable of populations.

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Very Low Birthweight in African American Infants: The Role of Maternal Exposure to Interpersonal Racial Discrimination

Abstract: The lifelong accumulated experiences of racial discrimination by African American women constitute an independent risk factor for preterm delivery.

Cited by 357 publications

References 31 publications

Anticipated Negative Police-Youth Encounters and Depressive Symptoms among Pregnant African American Women: A Brief Report

Anticipated Negative Police-Youth Encounters and Depressive Symptoms among Pregnant African American Women: A Brief Report

Race, Ethnicity, and Socioeconomic Status in Research on Child Health

A Secondary Analysis of Race/Ethnicity and other Maternal Factors Affecting Adverse Birth Outcomes in San Bernardino County

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