Depressed pregnant black women have a greater incidence of prematurity and low birthweight outcomes.
Pregnant black depressed women were compared to pregnant black non-depressed women on self-report stress measures and cortisol levels at mid and late pregnancy and on neonatal outcomes. The depressed women had higher anxiety, anger, daily hassles, sleep disturbance scores and cortisol levels at both prenatal visits. These higher stress levels may have contributed to the greater incidence of prematurity and low birthweight neonatal outcomes noted in the depressed group, and they may partially explain the higher rate of prematurity and low birthweight among black women.
Field
Tiffany
T
Touch Research Institutes, University of Miami Medical School, Miami, FL 33101, USA. tfield@med.miami.edu
Diego
Miguel
M
Hernandez-Reif
Maria
M
Deeds
Osvelia
O
Holder
Vitillius
V
Schanberg
Saul
S
Kuhn
Cynthia
C
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood; D015994:Incidence; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D055815:Young Adult
D006854:Hydrocortisone