Anxiety, Depression, and Trauma Among Immigrant Mexican Women up to Two-Years Post-partum
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Anxiety, Depression, and Trauma Among Immigrant Mexican Women up to Two‑Years Post‑partum Anne S. J. Farina1 · Kristen P. Kremer2 · Sarah Caldera Wimmer3 · Tatiana Villarreal‑Otálera4 · Tania Paredes5 · Emily Stuart3 Accepted: 22 September 2020 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Anxiety has significant consequences for maternal and infant health, and Mexican immigrant mothers are at significantly high-risk. This study examined whether maternal depressive symptoms and trauma are related to anxiety symptoms in perinatal Mexican immigrants. Data were collected from 103 Mexican women residing in the Midwestern United States who were pregnant or up to two years postpartum. Half were aged 30–34. The majority had two or more children and low socio-economic status. Linear regression analyses predicted current anxiety symptoms from current maternal depression symptoms, trauma history, and socio-demographics. Anxiety symptoms were significantly related to depressive symptoms (B = 0.87, 95% CI 0.73, 1.01) and trauma. Compared to women with no trauma history, women who experienced more than ten traumas had increased anxiety symptoms (B = 7.15, 95% CI 0.34, 13.96). Perinatal Mexican women with higher depression symptoms and trauma have increased anxiety symptoms, increasing the need for more comprehensive screening. Keywords Perinatal depression · Perinatal anxiety · Latina mental health
Background More than 30% of adults are at risk of experiencing an anxiety disorder in their lifetime, and females are at an especially elevated risk especially during the perinatal period (i.e., prenatal and postpartum) [1]. For many females, onset of anxiety symptoms (e.g., feelings of nervousness, fear, and worry), begins during pregnancy, as mothers worry about potential pregnancy and delivery complications. After birth, mothers continue to worry about children’s health and parenting. Research estimates that 31% of perinatal women
* Kristen P. Kremer [email protected] 1
Department of Social Work, Seattle University, Seattle, WA, USA
2
Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work, Kansas State University, 204 Waters Hall, 1603 Old Claflin Place, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
3
LifeWise STL, St. Louis, MO, USA
4
School of Social Work, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
5
Private Practice, Miami, FL, USA
experience heightened anxiety symptoms [2], with 7% of perinatal women meeting criteria for anxiety disorder [3]. While pregnancy-related worries are common, intense and persistent anxiety can negatively impact outcomes [4]. During pregnancy, maternal anxiety has been associated with obstetric complications and preterm labor [5]. Post-partum anxiety is related to decreased child-mother attachment, children’s neurodevelopmental impairments, maternal substance use, and poor maternal physical health [6-10]. Due to systematic stressors—such as economic hardships, healthcare accessibility, and migration trauma—Latina mothers are at an increased risk for anx
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