title: Examining Life-Course Socioeconomic Position, Contextualized Stress, and Depression among Well-Educated African-American Pregnant Women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This article explores how childhood and adulthood socioeconomic position (SEP) and socioeconomic mobility, as indicators of life-course experiences, impact the relationship between contextualized stress and depression among well-educated, pregnant African-American women.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Jackson, Hogue, Phillips Contextualized Stress Measure and the Beck Depression Inventory were administered to 101 well-educated, pregnant African-American women during their first and second trimesters. Bivariate associations and regression analysis were conducted to assess life-course SEP, mobility, and contextualized stress as predictors of depression. Based on the demographic data for childhood and adult SES, the SEP and mobility variables were created.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Results from χ2 analysis revealed that high contextual stress was significantly associated with no change in mobility, that is, staying the same. Results from regression models found that contextualized stress was the only predictor for depression. Additionally, life-course SEP and mobility did not moderate the relationship between contextualized stress and depression.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings illuminated the persistence of racial and gendered stress as risk factors for depression among well-educated, pregnant African-American women, regardless of life-course SEP. We offer an explanation as to why African-American women who possess the material and social resources thought to mediate psychosocial and pregnancy risks remain in jeopardy.
authors.affiliation: Psychology Department, Morehouse College, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Tracy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Curry Owens
authors.affiliation: Psychology Department, Spelman College, Atlanta, Georgia; Save 100 Babies, Atlanta, Georgia. Electronic address: fledamjackson@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Fleda Mask
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Jackson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D017533:Marital Status; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011247:Pregnancy; D037841:Pregnant People / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012307:Risk Factors; D012931:Social Environment; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult