Black women are four times more likely to die during childbirth; because of this, Black women face higher rates of mental disorders during pregnancy, i.e., postpartum. Matthews, K., EA, H., KB, K., E, I., Al., E., RS, et al. (2021) study identifies that Black women experience a higher rate of maternal mental health conditions. However, these conditions are usually underreported, and symptoms are mainly unaddressed. Bodnar-Deren, S., Benn, E.K.T., Balbierz, A. et al. (2017) study sought to find the connection between race, stigma, and treatment when looking at Black postpartum mothers and compared results with White postpartum mothers. Their findings concluded that White mothers had higher rates of prescription medication and medical counseling for postpartum. Looking to Tucker, M. J., Berg, C. J., Callaghan, W. M., & Hsia, J. (2007) study, Black and White women suffer similar rates of severe complications (preeclampsia, eclampsia, abruptio placentae, placenta previa, and postpartum hemorrhage). However, Black women were two to three times more likely to die from them.
The Counseling at Northwestern blog (2018) explains that monitoring mental health during pregnancy could drastically improve Black mothers’ mental wellness. The only problem with this is that medical professionals often dismiss Black mothers’ mental struggles. This turns Into Black mothers choosing not to seek professional help when experiencing symptoms postpartum.
Sources:
Matthews, K., EA, H., KB, K., E, I., Al., E., RS, S., RE, G., JM, C., AL, C., M, S., L, R., Y, C. T., J, M., P, S., FM, J., GA, M., & A, P. (2021, October 1). Pathways to equitable and antiracist maternal mental health care: Insights from Black Women Stakeholders: Health Affairs Journal.
Bodnar-Deren, S., Benn, E. K. T., Balbierz, A., & Howell, E. A. (2017, January 19). Stigma and postpartum depression treatment acceptability among black and white women in the first six-months postpartum – maternal and Child Health Journal. SpringerLink.
Tucker MJ, Berg CJ, Callaghan WM, Hsia J. The Black-White disparity in pregnancy-related mortality from 5 conditions: differences in prevalence and case-fatality rates. Am J Public Health. 2007 Feb;97(2):247-51. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2005.072975. Epub 2006 Dec 28. PMID: 17194867; PMCID: PMC1781382.