Associations Among Racial Discrimination, Perceived Stress, and Birth Satisfaction in Black Women in the Postpartum Period

Objective

To examine associations among experiences of racial discrimination, perceived stress, and birth satisfaction and to test if perceived stress mediates the relationship between racial discrimination and birth satisfaction among Black women in the postpartum period.

Design

Secondary analysis of data from the Biosocial Impact on Black Births study.

Setting

A postpartum unit of a large hospital in Central Florida.

Participants

Black women (N = 154) in the postpartum period.

Methods

Participants completed the lifetime Experiences of Discrimination scale, Perceived Stress Scale and Birth Satisfaction Scale–Revised between 24 hours and 23 days after birth. We calculated descriptive statistics and Spearman’s ρ correlation coefficients to evaluate associations among variables. We used multiple linear regression to evaluate perceived stress as a mediator between racial discrimination and birth satisfaction.

Results

Racial discrimination had a positive association with perceived stress (β = 2.445, p = .03), and perceived stress had a negative association with birth satisfaction (β = –0.221, p = .02). Racial discrimination had no significant direct effect on birth satisfaction (β = –0.091, p = .94); therefore, perceived stress did not mediate the relationship.

Conclusion

More experiences of discrimination over the life span were associated with higher levels of perceived stress. Participants who reported higher levels of perceived stress reported lower levels of birth satisfaction. Our study adds to the body of knowledge regarding associations between racial discrimination and perceived stress and perceived stress and birth satisfaction.