Structural racism and perinatal mental health - The role of racialized economic segregation.

BACKGROUND

Perinatal mental disorders (PMD) affect birthing persons during pregnancy and postpartum. While racial and ethnic differences are documented, how structural racism influences these differences remains understudied.

METHODS

To estimate associations between the index of concentration at the extremes (ICE) -a proxy for anti-Black structural racism- and hospital-reported PMD, we analyzed data from a population-based cohort of all California live hospital births, 1997 to 2018 (N = 10,155, 036). PMD outcomes were identified from hospital discharge records throughout the perinatal period. Black-white ICE race-income was calculated and categorized into tertiles from most structurally deprived to privileged at the census tract level. Race and ethnicity-stratified mixed effects log-binomial models estimated the risk of hospital-reported PMD, adjusting for maternal age, education, and insurance, and accounting for clustering by census tract.

RESULTS

In fully adjusted models, Black (aRR = 0.75, 95 % CI = 0.70, 0.81), Asian or Pacific Islander (aRR = 0.78, 95 % CI = 0.72, 0.84), and Hispanic (aRR = 0.65, 95 % CI = 0.62, 0.68) birthing persons living in the most structurally deprived neighborhoods had a reduced risk of hospital-reported PMD. Conversely, white (aRR = 1.09, 95 % CI = 1.05, 1.13) birthing persons living in the most structurally deprived neighborhoods had an increased risk of hospital-reported PMD.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings reveal a complex association between racialized economic segregation and hospital-reported PMD. Living in structurally deprived neighborhoods might reflect underdiagnosis for minoritized populations or confer protection, while white counterparts can more readily access mental healthcare elsewhere. Further research may help inform place-based interventions aimed at improving perinatal mental health outcomes.