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Ethnic discrimination predicts poor self-rated health and cortisol in pregnancy: Insights from New Zealand

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  • Thayer, Zaneta M.
  • Kuzawa, Christopher W.

Abstract

Despite growing research emphasis on understanding the health effects of ethnic discrimination, little work has focused on how such exposures may influence a woman's biology and health during pregnancy. Understanding such effects is important given evidence that maternal stress experience in pregnancy can have long term effects on offspring health. Here we present data evaluating the relationship between perceived discrimination, self-rated health, and the stress hormone cortisol measured in late pregnancy among a diverse sample of women living in Auckland, New Zealand (N = 55). We also evaluated possible intergenerational impacts of maternal discrimination on stress reactivity in a subset of offspring (N = 19). Pregnant women were recruited from two antenatal care clinics in Auckland. Women were met in their homes between 34 and 36 weeks gestation, during which time a prenatal stress questionnaire was administered and saliva samples (morning and evening from two days) were obtained. Offspring cortisol reactivity was assessed at the standard six week postnatal vaccination visit. We found that 34% of women reported having experienced ethnic discrimination, with minority and immigrant women being more likely to report being angry or upset in response to discrimination experience compared with NZ-born women of European descent. Women reporting discrimination experience had worse self-rated health, higher evening cortisol and gave birth to infants with higher cortisol reactivity, all independent of ethnicity and material deprivation. These findings suggest that discrimination experience can have biological impacts in pregnancy and across generations, potentially contributing to the ethnic gradient in health.

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  • Thayer, Zaneta M. & Kuzawa, Christopher W., 2015. "Ethnic discrimination predicts poor self-rated health and cortisol in pregnancy: Insights from New Zealand," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 36-42.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:128:y:2015:i:c:p:36-42
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.01.003
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Salmond, Clare & Crampton, Peter & King, Peter & Waldegrave, Charles, 2006. "NZiDep: A New Zealand index of socioeconomic deprivation for individuals," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 62(6), pages 1474-1485, March.
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    3. Schulz, A.J. & Gravlee, C.C. & Williams, D.R. & Israel, B.A. & Mentz, G. & Rowe, Z., 2006. "Discrimination, symptoms of depression, and self-rated health among African American women in Detroit: Results from a longitudinal analysis," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 96(7), pages 1265-1270.
    4. Harris, Ricci & Tobias, Martin & Jeffreys, Mona & Waldegrave, Kiri & Karlsen, Saffron & Nazroo, James, 2006. "Racism and health: The relationship between experience of racial discrimination and health in New Zealand," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 63(6), pages 1428-1441, September.
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    3. Daniel Ramirez & Steven A. Haas, 2022. "Windows of Vulnerability: Consequences of Exposure Timing during the Dutch Hunger Winter," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 48(4), pages 959-989, December.
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    5. Anders Larrabee Sonderlund & Antoinette Schoenthaler & Trine Thilsing, 2021. "The Association between Maternal Experiences of Interpersonal Discrimination and Adverse Birth Outcomes: A Systematic Review of the Evidence," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-31, February.
    6. Haas, Steven A. & Ramirez, Daniel, 2022. "Childhood exposure to war and adult onset of cardiometabolic disorders among older Europeans," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 309(C).

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