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. 2021 Dec;123(4):780-804.
doi: 10.1111/aman.13665. Epub 2021 Nov 21.

Discrimination as a Moderator of the Effects of Acculturation and Cultural Values on Mental Health Among Pregnant and Postpartum Latina Women

Molly Fox  1
Affiliations

Discrimination as a Moderator of the Effects of Acculturation and Cultural Values on Mental Health Among Pregnant and Postpartum Latina Women

Molly Fox. Am Anthropol. 2021 Dec.

Abstract
in English, Spanish

It is important to consider how identity, culture, and social adversity influence maternal mental health among Latina women both because this community faces unique cultural stressors and also because factors that undermine women's mental health during pregnancy and postpartum could have injurious consequences that cascade across generations. This study uses data from a questionnaire administered to Latina pregnant and postpartum women in Southern California, examining cultural orientation, discrimination, and mental health. Results demonstrate mental health benefits for both American and Latino cultural orientations, but the latter's benefit of lower anxiety was only apparent with high discrimination. American and Latino cultural values systems had opposite relationships with depression, with the latter protective and also positively associated with happiness. More traditional gender roles values were associated with greater perceived stress and lower happiness. Different aspects of familism had opposite effects as obligation was associated with less anxiety and referent (defining oneself communally with kin) with more. Results suggest that social adversity and cultural identity and values influence maternal psychology. This study makes a unique contribution by integrating anthropological and biopsychosocial methods and theories towards addressing an issue of public-health importance.

Es importante considerar cómo la identidad, la cultura y la adversidad social influyen en la salud mental materna entre mujeres latinas tanto porque esta comunidad enfrenta factores culturales únicos causantes de estrés como porque factores que socavan la salud mental de las mujeres durante el embarazo y el postparto podrían tener consecuencias perjudiciales en cadena a través de las generaciones. Este estudio utiliza información de una encuesta administrada a mujeres latinas en embarazo o en posparto en el sur de California examinando la orientación cultural, la discriminación y la salud mental. Los resultados demuestran los beneficios de la salud mental tanto para orientaciones culturales estadounidenses como latinas, pero el beneficio de la más baja ansiedad de las últimas fue sólo aparente con baja discriminación. Sistemas de valores culturales estadounidenses y latinos tienen relaciones opuestas con la depresión, con los últimos siendo protectores y también asociados positivamente con la felicidad. Valores más tradicionales sobre los roles de género fueron asociados con un mayor estrés percibido y más baja felicidad. Aspectos diferentes del familismo tuvieron efectos opuestos en la medida en que la obligación estuvo asociada con menor ansiedad y el referente (definirse uno mismo comunalmente con parientes) con mayor. Los resultados sugieren que la adversidad y la identidad cultural y los valores influyen en la psicología materna. Este estudio hace una contribución única al integrar métodos y teorías antropológicas y biopsicosociales hacia el abordaje de una cuestión de importancia en salud pública.

Keywords: Latino health; cultural stressors; minority health disparities; mood disorders; perinatal.

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Conflict of interest statement

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST None

Figures

FIGURE 1.
FIGURE 1.
Marginal effects of coefficients for multiple regression models. Visualizations of the coefficients and p-values for the four mental health outcome models using (A) cultural orientation, (B) cultural values systems, and (C) cultural values items as predictors, in addition to control variables. For visualization purposes only, dependent variables were normalized by unitization with zero minimum in order to plot effect sizes together. Numeric information and model fitting statistics are in Tables 2–4.
FIGURE 1.
FIGURE 1.
Marginal effects of coefficients for multiple regression models. Visualizations of the coefficients and p-values for the four mental health outcome models using (A) cultural orientation, (B) cultural values systems, and (C) cultural values items as predictors, in addition to control variables. For visualization purposes only, dependent variables were normalized by unitization with zero minimum in order to plot effect sizes together. Numeric information and model fitting statistics are in Tables 2–4.
FIGURE 1.
FIGURE 1.
Marginal effects of coefficients for multiple regression models. Visualizations of the coefficients and p-values for the four mental health outcome models using (A) cultural orientation, (B) cultural values systems, and (C) cultural values items as predictors, in addition to control variables. For visualization purposes only, dependent variables were normalized by unitization with zero minimum in order to plot effect sizes together. Numeric information and model fitting statistics are in Tables 2–4.
FIGURE 2.
FIGURE 2.
Moderating effects of discrimination. Marginal effect from multiple linear regression models of (A) Latino orientation score on anxiety score, (B) American cultural values score on happiness score,(C) familism referent values score on anxiety score,(D) Competition and personal achievement values score on anxiety score, and (E) familism obligation values score on happiness score. Data subsetted by cohort median discrimination scores. Shading represents 95 percent confidence interval. Simple slope beta coefficients and p-values are noted on the plots. ns: p>0.05 *p<0.05 **p<0.01.
FIGURE 2.
FIGURE 2.
Moderating effects of discrimination. Marginal effect from multiple linear regression models of (A) Latino orientation score on anxiety score, (B) American cultural values score on happiness score,(C) familism referent values score on anxiety score,(D) Competition and personal achievement values score on anxiety score, and (E) familism obligation values score on happiness score. Data subsetted by cohort median discrimination scores. Shading represents 95 percent confidence interval. Simple slope beta coefficients and p-values are noted on the plots. ns: p>0.05 *p<0.05 **p<0.01.
FIGURE 2.
FIGURE 2.
Moderating effects of discrimination. Marginal effect from multiple linear regression models of (A) Latino orientation score on anxiety score, (B) American cultural values score on happiness score,(C) familism referent values score on anxiety score,(D) Competition and personal achievement values score on anxiety score, and (E) familism obligation values score on happiness score. Data subsetted by cohort median discrimination scores. Shading represents 95 percent confidence interval. Simple slope beta coefficients and p-values are noted on the plots. ns: p>0.05 *p<0.05 **p<0.01.
FIGURE 2.
FIGURE 2.
Moderating effects of discrimination. Marginal effect from multiple linear regression models of (A) Latino orientation score on anxiety score, (B) American cultural values score on happiness score,(C) familism referent values score on anxiety score,(D) Competition and personal achievement values score on anxiety score, and (E) familism obligation values score on happiness score. Data subsetted by cohort median discrimination scores. Shading represents 95 percent confidence interval. Simple slope beta coefficients and p-values are noted on the plots. ns: p>0.05 *p<0.05 **p<0.01.
FIGURE 2.
FIGURE 2.
Moderating effects of discrimination. Marginal effect from multiple linear regression models of (A) Latino orientation score on anxiety score, (B) American cultural values score on happiness score,(C) familism referent values score on anxiety score,(D) Competition and personal achievement values score on anxiety score, and (E) familism obligation values score on happiness score. Data subsetted by cohort median discrimination scores. Shading represents 95 percent confidence interval. Simple slope beta coefficients and p-values are noted on the plots. ns: p>0.05 *p<0.05 **p<0.01.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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