title: Subjective Social Status, Mental and Psychosocial Health, and Birth Weight Differences in Mexican-American and Mexican Immigrant Women.
abstract: Recent Mexican immigrant women on average have an unexpectedly low incidence of low birth weight (LBW). Birth weights decline and LBW incidence increases in post-immigrant generations. This pilot project tested the hypothesis that subjective social status (SSS) of pregnant women predicts variation in birth weight between Mexican immigrant and Mexican-American women. 300 low-income pregnant Mexican immigrant and Mexican-American women in South Texas were surveyed for SSS, depression, pregnancy-related anxiety, perceived social stress and self-esteem and subsequent birth weight. No significant difference in SSS levels between pregnant Mexican immigrant and Mexican-American women were found. However, SSS better predicted variation in birth weight across both groups than mental and psychosocial health variables. Results suggest distinct relationships among SSS, mental and psychosocial health that could impact birth weight. They underscore the relevance of a multilevel, biopsychosocial analytical framework to studying LBW.
authors: Department of Anthropology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, 1 UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX, 78249, USA. jill.fleuriet@utsa.edu.
authors: K Jill
authors: KJ
authors: Fleuriet
authors: Department of Sociology and Institute for Health Disparities Research, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA.
authors: T S
authors: TS
authors: Sunil
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000208:ethnology; D001724:Birth Weight; D003863:Depression / Q000208:ethnology; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008603:Mental Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000523:psychology*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011203:Poverty; D011247:Pregnancy; D012931:Social Environment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000208:ethnology; D013781:Texas; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: Birth weight; Culture; Hispanic women; Status; Stress