Emotional Distress and Maternal Health Vulnerability

University Of Texas At El Paso, El Paso TX

Investigators

Abstract

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2). Experiences of maternal stress are important mediators of the relationship between mental and reproductive health and vary among women facing different stressors. Identifying the precise factors that affect experiences of diverse mothers and how these, in turn, impact vulnerability, is thus critical to informing efforts aimed at alleviating maternal and infant health disparities. This project examines the experiences of pregnancy among foreign-born immigrant women and native-born women who face a diversity of stressors and supports during pregnancy. The research includes presentations to disseminate results to community stakeholders and a white paper to disseminate results to policymakers. The project will be conducted through a Hispanic Serving Institution, offering research training for undergraduate and graduate students from underrepresented groups. Specifically, this research seeks to understand how women internalize immigration-related stress and in what ways women's experiences shape biological markers of stress. The research builds on the theoretically influential, but often poorly operationalized, concept of embodiment by examining the specific pathways that link experiences of stress and individual histories to demonstrable biological markers of stress. These issues will be investigated using a multi-phased design that includes analysis of survey data, self-reported experiences of stress, biological stress data, health records, and in-depth interviews. The research offers an important window and a holistic perspective on concerns and the differential experiences of immigrants and native-born women in the United States. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.