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Maternal Experiences with Everyday Discrimination and Infant Birth Weight: A Test of Mediators and Moderators Among Young, Urban Women of Color

  • Original Article
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Annals of Behavioral Medicine

Abstract

Background

Racial/ethnic disparities in birth weight persist within the USA.

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the association between maternal everyday discrimination and infant birth weight among young, urban women of color as well as mediators (depressive symptoms, pregnancy distress, and pregnancy symptoms) and moderators (age, race/ethnicity, and attributions of discrimination) of this association.

Methods

A total of 420 women participated (14–21 years old; 62 % Latina, 38 % Black), completing measures of everyday discrimination and moderators during their second trimester of pregnancy and mediators during their third trimester. Birth weight was primarily recorded from medical record review.

Results

Path analysis demonstrated that everyday discrimination was associated with lower birth weight. Depressive symptoms mediated this relationship, and no tested factors moderated this relationship.

Conclusions

Given the association between birth weight and health across the lifespan, it is critical to reduce discrimination directed at young, urban women of color so that all children can begin life with greater promise for health.

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Acknowledgments

The project described was supported by grants from the National Institute of Mental Health, including R01MH074399, a research grant that funded the study, and T32MH020031, a training grant that funded Dr. Earnshaw’s effort. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute of Mental Health or the National Institutes of Health. The authors thank three anonymous reviewers and Dr. Laura Bogart for their helpful comments on earlier versions of this manuscript.

Conflict of Interest

The authors have no conflict of interest to disclose.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Yale School of Public Health and the Yale Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS, 135 College Street, Suite 200, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA

    Valerie A. Earnshaw Ph.D., Lisa Rosenthal Ph.D., Jessica B. Lewis LMFT, Emily C. Stasko MPH, Tené T. Lewis Ph.D., Allecia E. Reid Ph.D. & Jeannette R. Ickovics Ph.D.

  2. Clinical Directors’ Network, New York, NY, USA

    Jonathan N. Tobin Ph.D.

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  1. Valerie A. Earnshaw Ph.D.
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  2. Lisa Rosenthal Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Valerie A. Earnshaw Ph.D..

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Earnshaw, V.A., Rosenthal, L., Lewis, J.B. et al. Maternal Experiences with Everyday Discrimination and Infant Birth Weight: A Test of Mediators and Moderators Among Young, Urban Women of Color. ann. behav. med. 45, 13–23 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-012-9404-3

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