The Intergenerational Transmission of Discrimination: Children’s Experiences of Unfair Treatment and Their Mothers’ Health at Midlife

Colen, Cynthia G.; Li, Qi; Reczek, Corinne; Williams, David R.

doi:10.1177/0022146519887347

Cited by 37 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 78 publications

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“…The load has a "weathering effect" and gradually increases the risk of chronic disease and declining reproductive health. People who report continuous experiences of discrimination exhibit increased stress markers such as slower blood pressure recovery, inflammation, and sleep deprivation (Colen et al, 2019). Further, Black people are disproportionately affected by Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorder (PMAD), of which sleep deprivation is a key characteristic (Mitchell et al, 2010).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Birthing #blackboyjoy: Black Midwives Caring for Black Mothers of Black Boys During Pregnancy and Childbirth

Goode

Bernardin

2021

Matern Child Health J

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Background Structural racism mediates all aspects of Black life. The medicalization of pregnancy and childbirth, and its detrimental impacts on Black birth, is well documented. The Black Lives Matter movement has elevated the national consciousness on all aspects of Black life, but significant attention has been directed toward the murder and dehumanization of Black men and boys. Black midwives, caring for Black people, using the Midwives Model of Care© which consistently demonstrates its efficacy and better outcomes for Black people, are uniquely positioned to witness the physical and psychosocial experiences of birthing Black boys in America. Methods Between 2011 and 2013, the first author conducted interviews with 22 Black midwives to understand their perceptions of, and experiences in, predominantly white midwifery education programs and professional organizations. Convenience and snowball sampling were used. This paper investigates previously unreported and unexamined data from the original study by focusing on the witness and insight of nine midwives who provided care for Black mothers of boys during pregnancy and childbirth. Findings The data presented three themes: It’s a Boy: On Restlessness and Complicated Uneasiness; Desensitization of Black Death; and, Physiological Impacts of Toxic Stress. Conclusions The findings demonstrate that caring for Black people must be simultaneously theorized and executed within an anti-racist, relationship-centered, reproductive justice framework. Black midwives are uniquely positioned to do this work. Greater attention, in practice and in research, is needed to investigate the birth experiences of Black mothers of boys.

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Birthing #blackboyjoy: Black Midwives Caring for Black Mothers of Black Boys During Pregnancy and Childbirth

Goode

Bernardin

2021

Matern Child Health J

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“…All parents are exposed to stressors associated with childrearing including daily hassles, emotional and physical fatigue, economic constraints, increased strain between parenting partners, and work-family conflicts (Nomaguchi & Milkie, 2020;Umberson et al, 2010). Notably, parents of color experience additional stressors such as fears that their child may experience violence at the hands of law enforcement or discrimination at school (see Colen et al, 2019). Prolonged exposure to these stressors can change mental health and health behaviors such as smoking (Evenson & Simon, 2005;Mezuk et al, 2017).…”

Section: Background Stress Parenthood and Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parenthood, stress, and well‐being among cisgender and transgender gay and lesbian adults

Zhang

Chien

Wilkins

et al. 2021

J of Marriage and Family

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This study examines whether and how parenthood status is associated with two key aspects of health-mental well-being and smoking-among sexual minority adults across three gender identity groups: cisgender gay men, cisgender lesbian women, and transgender gay/lesbian adults. Background: Parents tend to report worse health than nonparents due to elevated stress associated with parenting. However, most existing scholarship de facto examines parental status and health among cisgender heterosexual adults. Little research has employed an intersectional approach to focus on parenthood and health differences within sexual minority adults across varying gender identities. Method: Ordinary least squares (OLS) and logistic regression models were used to analyze data from the 2010 Social Justice Sexuality Project (N = 2803), a survey of racially diverse sexual and gender minority adults residing in all 50 US states and Puerto Rico. Results: In a sample composed predominantly of people of color, parenthood status is related to both mental wellbeing and smoking status among gay and lesbian adults, but this relationship is inconsistent across cisgender and transgender groups. OLS regression models show that parenthood is positively related to mental well-being among gay and lesbian transgender people, whereas logistic regression results find that parenthood is associated with higher odds of smoking among cisgender gay men.

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“…For instance, exposure to discrimination increases risk for preterm birth and low birth weight (Giurgescu et al, 2012; Slaughter‐Acey et al, 2019). Furthermore, children’s experiences of discrimination can affect maternal physical health outcomes in women of reproductive age, suggesting that discrimination acts bidirectionally on the well‐being of the family system (Colen, Li, Reczek, & Williams, 2019). Women exposed to high chronic stress before their babies were conceived had infants with lower birth weights than women who experienced lower levels of chronic stress, and this effect was stronger in African Americans and Latinas than in European Americans (Strutz et al, 2014).…”

Section: Intergenerational Transmission Of Chronic Stress In Marginalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biological Embedding of Chronic Stress Across Two Generations Within Marginalized Communities

Conradt

Carter

Crowell

2020

Child Dev Perspectives

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Significant racial health disparities in infant mortality, preterm birth, and infant neurodevelopment exist in the United States. These disparities highlight a critical public health problem: Children of color are at a developmental disadvantage before birth. In this article, we describe how pregnant women from marginalized communities are disproportionately more likely to experience chronic stress in the form of discrimination, historical trauma, and acculturation. We integrate these understudied forms of chronic stress into allostatic load and prenatal programming models to describe how they can affect the health of two generations: the pregnant woman and her child. We describe psychophysiological ramifications of this early‐life stress in infants of color. The prenatal programming field has largely ignored the experiences of women of color, and we highlight the need for researchers to include, or focus exclusively on, diverse samples in their research to reduce disparities that are evident at birth.

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The Intergenerational Transmission of Discrimination: Children’s Experiences of Unfair Treatment and Their Mothers’ Health at Midlife

Cited by 37 publications

References 78 publications

Birthing #blackboyjoy: Black Midwives Caring for Black Mothers of Black Boys During Pregnancy and Childbirth

Birthing #blackboyjoy: Black Midwives Caring for Black Mothers of Black Boys During Pregnancy and Childbirth

Parenthood, stress, and well‐being among cisgender and transgender gay and lesbian adults

Biological Embedding of Chronic Stress Across Two Generations Within Marginalized Communities

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