Elevated Depressive Symptoms During the Perinatal Period Among Latinas Attending a Public Health Clinic

Authors: Marivel Davila, MPH; Stephanie McFall, PhD; Diana Cheng, MD

Background:
Latinas have one of the highest birthrates, yet few studies have looked at the prevalence of perinatal depression among this population. Among Latinos in general, higher levels of acculturation have been linked to poorer mental health outcomes; U.S-born Latinos have been found to be at higher risk for psychiatric disorders, including depression. This study aims to answer the question: are there differences in the prevalence of depressive symptoms between Mexican-born and U.S.-born pregnant and postpartum Latinas of Mexican origin?

Method:
A convenience sample of 439 pregnant and postpartum Latinas attending Family Planning and Prenatal Public Health Clinics in San Antonio, Texas was screened for depressive symptoms using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) Scale. Women with a score of 21 or greater were classified as having elevated depressive symptoms (EDS). Sociodemographic data, including birth country, language of interview, length of time in the U.S. and age of immigration were collected as indicators of acculturation.

Results:
21% of the sample met the threshold for EDS. Bivariate analysis showed that Latinas who were U.S.-born, single, preferred English for their interview and who were pregnant were more likely to express EDS (p< 0.05). No association was found between age of immigration or length of time spent in the U.S. and EDS among Mexican-born Latinas. Logistic multivariate analysis found being single (OR=3.1, 95% CI=1.9-5.2) and pregnant (OR=2.5, 95% CI=1.3-4.8) were positively associated in predicting EDS. Acculturation indicators (birth country and language of interview), were found to not be significant predictors of EDS.

Conclusions:
Although U.S.-born Latinas had significantly higher depressive scores in the bivariate analysis, acculturation indicators were not significant predictors of EDS. Pregnancy and marital status were found to be strong predictors of EDS, irrespective of birth country and language of interview.