Racial disparities in maternal depression during pregnancy: Final results from the Los Angeles Mommy and Baby (LAMB) Project, 2005

Background: Maternal depression has been linked to complications with pregnancy and birth outcome. We aim to investigate racial and ethnic factors related to maternal depression during pregnancy in Los Angeles County.

Methods: LAMB is a biennial, population-based survey modeled after the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System. Questions related to depression during pregnancy include: did you feel depressed or lose interest in most things for more than two weeks. Chi square tests were used to evaluate differences between groups in the occurrence of depression and logistic regression models were used to identify factors associated with depression during pregnancy.

Results: The data presented are from the 2005 LAMB survey (N=5,211). Twenty three percent of White women, 44% of Latinos, 46% of African Americans, 28% of Asians, and 40% of Native Americans reported feeling depressed for at least two weeks during their pregnancy, (p<0.001). While African Americans and Latinos were more likely to feel depressed (aOR= 1.62 CI =1.32, 1.98 and aOR=1.51 CI=1.23, 1.85, respectively), race was not the most significant factor associated with depression. Maternal age and income were strongly associated with depression during pregnancy (aOR=2.00 CI=1.48, 2.70 and aOR=2.60 CI=2.13, 3.16, respectively). Relationship status (aOR 1.63 CI=1.37, 1.95), early labor (aOR 1.51 CI=1.29, 1.78), and severe vomiting (aOR 1.74 CI=1.50, 2.02) were also important factors.

Conclusion: Findings suggest that Latino and African American women in Los Angeles are at increased risk for depression during pregnancy. Culturally sensitive strategies for identifying those at risk for depression need to be implemented in the prenatal care setting.