Psychological distress, stressful life events and social disadvantage in pregnant Indigenous Australian women residing in rural and remote NSW: a Longitudinal Cohort Study
Date
2022
Authors
Mah, B.L.
Brown, A.
Eades, S.
Pringle, K.G.
Committee, T.G.G.A.
Rae, K.M.
Editors
Advisors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Type:
Journal article
Citation
Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities, 2022; 9(6):2197-2207
Statement of Responsibility
B. L. Mah, A. Brown, S. Eades, K. G. Pringle, the Gomeroi gaaynggal Advisory Committee, K. M. Rae
Conference Name
Abstract
Background: Pregnancy can be a stressful time for many women. Australian Indigenous women of childbearing age (18–44 years) have been found to experience high or very high rates of psychological distress. However, few studies have examined the burden of or any associations between stressful life events, social disadvantage and psychological distress for pregnant Indigenous women in Australia. Methods: Two hundred sixty-one rural and remote women, pregnant with an Indigenous infant, from New South Wales in Australia were invited to provide data regarding social disadvantage then complete the Kessler-10 and Stressful Life Events surveys via self-report during each trimester of their pregnancy. Descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlations, Mann–Whitney U and Kruskal–Wallis tests were performed to determine the burden of and any associations between the variables of interest. Results: High rates of psychological distress were reported by participants with 16.9% scoring severe distress levels during their pregnancy. Participants also reported high rates of stressful life events with almost 25% experiencing the death of a family member or friend, almost 14% living in overcrowded accommodation, 11% having someone close to them jailed and 8% experience separation from their partner, during their pregnancies. Distress was associated with numerous stressful life events (e.g. witnessing violence, a family member in jail and overcrowding) and one aspect of social disadvantage (smoking status). Conclusions: Immediate attention needs to focus on the development of interventions to address the high levels of psychological distress and provide appropriate support services during periods of major life events for pregnant Australian Indigenous women.
School/Discipline
Dissertation Note
Provenance
Description
Published online: 30 September 2021
Access Status
Rights
© W. Montague Cobb-NMA Health Institute 2021