Racial Identity Clusters and Their Relation to Postpartum Maternal Functioning in Black Women

Factors Associated with Postpartum Maternal Functioning in Black Women: A Secondary Analysis

“…Bivariate associations are reported in Table 2 . Although previously published, the associations and post hoc analyses between the racial identity clusters and maternal functioning ( p = 0.0012) [ 7 ] to provide context with what variables were considered for multivariate analyses in regard to the main exposure (i.e., racial identity clusters). Maternal functioning was significantly, negatively correlated with the EPDS score (rho = −0.48, p < 0.0001) but significantly, positively correlated with the MAI score (rho = 0.38, p < 0.0001) [ 40 , 41 ]; these significant correlations also provide further evidence of construct validity for the BIMF.…”

“…Multivariate models revealed these factors explained more than 50% of the variation in maternal functioning levels within the sample, reflecting that these factors are salient to the functioning of postpartum Black women. Because the relationship between Black racial identity and maternal functioning have been published elsewhere [ 7 ], we will discuss the remaining findings.…”

“…Severity of PDS may also impact maternal functioning, a woman’s ability to care for herself and infant, and resume their typical activities prior to giving birth [ 6 ]. Previous work has examined the relationship between Black racial identity and PDS [ 1 ] or maternal functioning [ 7 ] individually but has not considered how they collectively influence maternal functioning. In this analysis, we employ the triangulation of concepts from the Nigrescence Theory [ 8 ] and the Becoming a Mother (BAM) theory [ 9 ] as a framework to guide our selection and analysis of PDS, social (e.g., education, income, relationship status) and racial factors (Black racial identity) that may influence Black women’s functional status after childbirth.…”

“…The relationship between Black racial identity, postpartum depression [ 1 ] and maternal functioning [ 7 ] have been examined separately. Both analyses involved assessing Black racial identity alone and did not account for any other factors or the association between postpartum depression and maternal functioning.…”

Editorial: Perinatal mood symptoms and postpartum maternal functioning: Describing the evidence related to effective and ineffective interventions

“…There are several reasons for this including: (1) an early and almost exclusive focus on postpartum depression (PPD) as the primary mental health concern of interest in new mothers ( 4 ), (2) a lack of current, quick, and accurate tools to assess postpartum functional status ( 2 ), (3) inadequate attention paid to mothers and their needs post childbirth ( 5 , 6 ), and a predominant focus on infant health and the clinical outcomes of the pregnancy ( 5 ). However, over the past 10 years, assessment of maternal functioning has made its way into the conversation, and also into domestic ( 7 – 10 ), international ( 11 – 13 ), and industry-sponsored studies ( 14 , 15 ). Though the evidence base is still growing, we do know that some interventions seem to improve maternal functioning.…”