Race-Related Stress as a Driver of Postpartum Depression Among a Sample of Black Mothers

In the US, research suggests that racial disparities exist in the prevalence of postpartum depression (PPD) and postnatal anxiety (PNA), with Black mothers experiencing PPD and PNA at a higher rate than their white counterparts. As a result, research that attempts to understand the antecedents of PPD and PNA in Black mothers may have value to the development of better interventions to reduce both in this subpopulation. Theory suggests that race-related stress (RRS) may be a contributing factor to PPD and PNA symptoms among Black mothers. RRS is defined as the stress associated with racism and discrimination encountered by Black women in their daily lives. In the current study, to test the relationship of RRS to PPD and PNA, we surveyed (N = 79) Black mothers who recently gave birth. The survey consisted of the Index of Race-Related Stress (IRRS), the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), and the Postpartum Specific Anxiety Scale (PSAS-RSF), along with items capturing income, education, mental health status, and the number of children per mother. Income and mental health status, education, and the number of children per mother were used as covariates in a multivariate regression model with IRRS scores as the independent variable and EPDS and PSAS-RSF scores as twin dependent variables. These covariates were selected because of their established relationship with PPD and PNA. The data was analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results indicated that the model provided good fit to the data, (X² = 6.32, df = 9; p = 0.707; RMSEA = 0.00 [90% CI: 0.000, 0.097]; CFI: 1.0). Moreover, IRRS scores were significantly correlated with both PPD symptoms (β = 0.45; p < 0.001) and PNA symptoms (β = 0.3837, p < 0.001), respectively. Such results suggest that future research into the role race-related stress plays in the development of PPD symptoms and PNA symptoms may have value in the reduction in both among Black mothers.