Stress and Depressive Symptoms Among Demographically Diverse American Pregnant Women

Abstract

Pregnancy is a sensitive period of life where mental health is of utmost importance to the mother’s and child’s well-being peripartum and beyond. To better prevent and treat common mental health conditions such as depressive symptoms and perceived stress (defined in this study to encompass psychological and physiological (heart rate variability (HRV)) dimensions), it is crucial to examine and report differences in mental health outcomes among demographically diverse pregnant women. Therefore, the purpose of this secondary analysis (N = 79) was to determine if there are differences in mental health outcomes between pregnant women who differ across demographic factors, as well as to determine if demographic factors predict mental health outcomes when controlling for other demographic variables. Findings indicate that there were significant differences in depressive symptoms and perceived stress by all demographic factors except age. Marital status and total household income were the only significant predictors of depressive symptoms and perceived stress, respectively, when all other factors were controlled. There were no significant differences or correlations between demographic variables and HRV. Pregnant women may be predisposed to adverse mental health outcomes, illustrating the need for more refined interventions that are sensitive to pre-existing factors.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to offer their special thanks to Chelsea Deroche for her statistical support. They also thank all of the women who participated in the study.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. IRB approval was received from University Hospitals Case Medical Center. Approval was received 4/20/17 (IRB Number: 12-16-02).

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by the International Society of Psychiatric Mental Health Nurses and the Foundation for Education and Research in Biofeedback and Related Sciences.