How Depressive Symptoms among African American Women Relate to Measures of Social Disorder in Her Childhood and Pregnancy Neighborhood

Neighborhood Environment and Perceived Stress Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Childbearing Black Women

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study among pregnant and postpartum Black women was twofold: (1) to compare levels of perceived stress, depressive symptoms, social support, and neighborhood disorder and crime before the pandemic vs during the pandemic; and (2) to examine the association of perceived stress, depressive symptoms, and social support with neighborhood disorder and crime at both time points.

METHODS

This was a prospective study as part of the Biosocial Impact on Black Births, a longitudinal study that examined the role of maternal factors on preterm birth among Black women. A sample of 143 women were included who responded to survey questions during pregnancy prior to the pandemic and again after birth, during the pandemic. Women completed the COVID survey between May 21, 2020, and January 28, 2021.

RESULTS

The levels of perceived stress (70.75 and 76.28, respectively, P < .01) and social support (17.01 and 18.78, respectively, P < .01) were lower during the pandemic than prior to the pandemic. Social support, perceived stress, and depressive symptoms were significantly correlated with the pre-pandemic measures of perceived neighborhood disorder and crime. Perceived stress and depressive symptoms were also significantly correlated with pandemic measures of perceived neighborhood.

CONCLUSION

Women reported lower levels of perceived stress during the pandemic than prior to the pandemic, but neighborhood characteristics were consistently associated with perceived stress and depressive symptoms both prior to and during the pandemic. Further exploration is warranted to better understand these relationships.

Black fathers' contributions to maternal mental health

This mixed-methods research study aimed to assess the contribution of interparental relationship quality and paternal support for mothers to maternal mental health among Black parents in a metro area characterized by severe racial disparities. We also explored Black parents' understanding of meaningful paternal support for mothers. Using survey data collected from Black mothers (N = 75), we examined correlations among the study variables, then conducted mediation and moderation analyses to examine whether relationship quality would mediate the association between paternal support and maternal mental health and to test whether relationship quality would moderate the association between paternal support and maternal self-reported overall health. We used inductive thematic analysis to analyze data from focus groups with Black parents (N = 15). We found that mothers' mental health was positively correlated with relationship quality, mothers' subjective health was positively correlated with paternal support, and relationship quality significantly mediates the relationship between paternal support and maternal mental health while controlling for relationship status. Our thematic analysis yielded four themes to characterize meaningful paternal support for mothers and a high quality interparental relationship: (1) Teammates; (2) Multidimensional, everyday support; (3) Communication is key; and (4) Challenge racism and disrupt intergenerational trauma. Findings suggest that paternal support and interparental relationship quality can play a protective role, promoting maternal mental health and wellbeing. Providers of perinatal services should support Black parents to support one another, including as advocates in confronting racism.

Is self-reported park proximity associated with perceived social disorder? Findings from eleven cities in Latin America

Parks and greenspaces can enhance personal health in various ways, including among others, through psychological restoration and improved well-being. However, under certain circumstances, parks may also have adverse effects by providing isolated and hidden spaces for non-normative and crime-related activities. This study uses a survey conducted by the Development Bank of Latin America in a cross-sectional representative sample of 7,110 respondents in eleven Latin-American cities. We examine associations between self-reported park proximity with perceived social disorder (drug use/sales, gangs, prostitution and assault and/or crime), and whether these associations are modified by neighborhood characteristics (informal neighborhoods, poor street-lighting, abandoned buildings, illegal dumping). High self-reported park proximity was associated with lower perceptions of social disorder, but these associations were no longer significant following adjustment for neighborhood characteristics. Significant interactions were observed between park proximity and neighborhood characteristics suggesting that the likelihood of perceiving social disorder increases with high park proximity in informal neighborhoods and in the presence of certain neighborhood characteristics, such as poor street-lighting, abandoned buildings, and illegal dumping in residential streets. The differential associations between reported park proximity and perceived social disorder in different living environments highlight the importance of supportive social and physical infrastructure to maximize the restorative benefits of parks in all urban areas.

Social Determinants of Health and Depression among African American Adults: A Scoping Review of Current Research

Depression in the United States (US) is increasing across all races and ethnicities and is attributed to multiple social determinants of health (SDOH). For members of historically marginalized races and ethnicities, depression is often underreported and undertreated, and can present as more severe. Limited research explores multiple SDOH and depression among African American adults in the US. Guided by Healthy People (HP) 2030, and using cross-disciplinary mental health terminology, we conducted a comprehensive search to capture studies specific to African American adults in the US published after 2016. We applied known scoping review methodology and followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. From 12,315 initial results, 60 studies were included in our final sample. Most studies explored the HP 2030 Social and Community Context domain, with a heavy focus on discrimination and social support; no studies examined Health Care Access and Quality. Researchers typically utilized cross-sectional, secondary datasets; no qualitative studies were included. We recommend research that comprehensively examines mental health risk and protective factors over the life course within, not just between, populations to inform tailored health promotion and public policy interventions for improving SDOH and reducing racial and ethnic health disparities.