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Updated: Jan 12, 2026

Using a Murine Model of Psychosocial Stress in Pregnancy as a Translationally Relevant Paradigm for Psychiatric Disorders in Mothers and Infants
Published on: June 13, 2021
Social Vulnerability and Perinatal Risk: Demographic Determinants of the Impact of a Natural Disaster on Pregnant
Cynthia D Shope1, Amy E Lucas2, Stephen M Cherry2
1Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, https://ror.org/02pttbw34Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
Objective:
Despite growing research on disaster-related health impacts, pregnant individuals remain understudied. This study explores the sociodemographic characteristics of pregnant women affected by Hurricane Harvey.
Methods:
A cross-sectional analysis of 4,951 pregnant individuals (511 directly impacted) was conducted to identify predictors of disrupted healthcare, financial loss, and mental health outcomes.
Results:
Social and structural vulnerabilities significantly influenced disaster impact. Pregnant individuals who were foreign-born racial/ethnic minorities (16.7% non-Latinx Black, 10.2% Latinx vs. 8.3% non-Latinx White), low-income (13.0% vs. 8.0%), less educated (12.5% vs. 7.6%), reliant on public healthcare (81% vs. 33.5%), or with limited maternity care access (11.4% vs. 54.8%) were disproportionately affected (all p < 0.001). Conversely, post-disaster anxiety was more common among U.S.-born (14.8% vs. 8.0%), college-educated (19.0% vs. 9.8%), and higher-income individuals (21.2% vs. 7.9%) (all p < 0.01).
Conclusions:
Disadvantaged pregnant populations face greater disruption during disasters, while those with fewer vulnerabilities may experience more prolonged anxiety.
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