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Black Women Have The Highest Maternal Mortality Rate In The United States, Tori-Ann Haywood

Population Health Research Brief Series

The U.S. maternal mortality rate is consistently higher than its high-income peer countries. Since 2018 maternal mortality rates in the U.S. have steadily increased for all ethnoracial groups. This data slice uses data from the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics to describe U.S. maternity mortality rates for women ages 15-45 across different ethnoracial groups between 2018-2022. Results show that, except for non-Hispanic (NH) Asian women, ethnoracial minority women have higher maternal death rates than NH White women.

Exploring The Mental Health Experience Of Perinatal Military Spouses Based In Sigonella, Italy, Lyndsey Dannenberg

Capstone Experience

The perinatal period can have a profound impact on the mental health of women, their infants, and their families, especially when it comes to depression and anxiety disorders. This study aims to delve into the experiences of perinatal mental health among military spouses stationed overseas, on Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy, and contribute to the limited research on active-duty military spouses and their perinatal mental health while stationed overseas. The research uses a qualitative phenomenological approach, seeking to provide valuable insights into the lived experiences of military spouses and their perinatal mental health. Risk factors associated with perinatal mental illness …

The Parenting Education Needs Of Aboriginal Women Experiencing Incarceration, Belinda J. Lovell, Mary Steen, Angela Brown, Karen Glover, Adrian Esterman

Journal of the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet

The aim of this study was to listen to the voices of women experiencing incarceration and understand their parenting education needs. This paper reports on data from focus group interviews with 13 Aboriginal women in prison. The data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, creating five themes: (1) working towards a positive self; (2) communication (3) parenting from a distance; (4) jumping through hoops to get connected; and (5) connecting with Aboriginal cultures. The women were seeking guidance and clarity about the Child Protection system and how to regain child custody. Many women were wanting to invest in self-care and …

Adverse Childhood Experiences Among Adolescent Girls In Residential Treatment: Relationship With Trauma Symptoms, Substance Use, And Delinquency, Akemi E. Mii

Department of Psychology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) refer to negative events during childhood or adolescence including abuse, maltreatment, and exposure to household dysfunction (Kalmakis & Chandler, 2014). ACEs are associated with negative outcomes including mental and behavioral health concerns and offending (Fox et al., 2015). The risk of negative outcomes associated with ACEs increases when an individual experiences polyvictimization (experiencing multiple types of adverse events; Felitti et al., 1998; Finkelhor et al., 2011). A majority of adolescents served by residential treatment programs (RTPs) have experienced polyvictimization (Briggs et al., 2013). Research examining juvenile offending and youth delinquency has focused on boys. Thus, research …

The Effect Of Lockdowns On The Status Of Women In The World, Angelika B. Magno

Angelo King Institute for Economic and Business Studies (AKI)

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious respiratory illness that causes moderate to severe symptoms that can be fatal to older people or those with other underlying health concerns. Considered a global pandemic, this disease spreads rapidly across the world, calling for a need for the implementation of lockdowns. This study examines the effects of lockdowns on joblessness among women, controlling for household conditions, namely, perceived household responsibility, hours allotted for household chores, and safety at home. Data for lockdowns were sourced from Google’s Community Mobility reports, whereas joblessness among women and household conditions were sourced from Facebook’s Survey on Gender …

The Lived Experience Of Postpartum Anxiety During Covid-19: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study, Walker Ladd Phd, Jenny De Decker

The Qualitative Report

The experience of pregnancy and postpartum anxiety disorders results in adverse birth outcomes and the disrupted development of infants and children. Since the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has designated pregnant and postpartum women as more vulnerable to COVID-19 (CDC, 2021), and perinatal mood and anxiety disorders rates have increased. However, research regarding the lived experience of women with postpartum anxiety (PPA) during a global pandemic remains lacking. Using van Manen’s hermeneutic phenomenological research method, we interviewed eight women self-identifying as having had PPA during the COVID-19 pandemic. Analysis revealed five themes describing the lived …

The Effects Of Hormonal Contraceptive Use On Perceptions Of Social Stress In Women, Ashton Jones

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Hormonal contraceptives are widely used due to their efficiency in preventing pregnancy. Although women are often informed of the physical effects of hormonal contraceptives, there is little emphasis on mental effects, such as increased rates of depression and changes in social perception. The current study examined perceptions of social stress among women before beginning hormonal contraceptives, and two months after using hormonal contraceptives. I hypothesized that women would experience increased social stress after beginning hormonal contraceptives, compared to a control group of women who were also assessed twice. Results did not support this hypothesis; there was no difference in interpersonal …

Intergenerational Risk And Resilience Pathways From Discrimination And Acculturative Stress To Infant Mental Health, Sabrina R. Liu, Curt A. Sandman, Elyssia Poggi Davis, Laura M. Glynn

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Preconception and prenatal stress impact fetal and infant development, and women of color are disproportionately exposed to sociocultural stressors like discrimination and acculturative stress. However, few studies examine links between mothers’ exposure to these stressors and offspring mental health, or possible mitigating factors. Using linear regression, we tested associations between prenatally assessed maternal acculturative stress and discrimination on infant negative emotionality among 113 Latinx/Hispanic, Asian American, Black, and Multiethnic mothers and their children. Additionally, we tested interactions between stressors and potential pre- and postnatal resilience-promoting factors: community cohesion, social support, communalism, and parenting self-efficacy. Discrimination and acculturative stress were related …

Trans Doublethink And Newspeak. A Review Of Doublethink: A Feminist Challenge To Transgenderism By Janice Raymond, Heather Brunskell-Evans

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

No abstract provided.

A Technology-Based, Mixed Methods Approach To Examining The Psychosocial Determinants Of Maternal Health Disparities, Hannah M. Ming

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Exposure to racism and discrimination in the U.S. increases Black women’s risk for experiencing maternal health disparities. Additionally, racism and discrimination affect maternal psychosocial well-being, creating evidence for a biopsychosocial relationship between racism and maternal health outcomes. However, current research does not define the psychosocial Black maternal self well. Given the dynamic relationship between racism, psychosocial well-being, and Black maternal health outcomes, research must comprehensively examine the Black maternal self. The operationalization of a comprehensive construct for Black maternal psychosocial well-being can improve understanding of the relationship between racism, psychosocial well-being, and Black maternal health outcomes.

Purpose: …

Pain That Only She Must Bear: On The Invisibility Of Women In Judicial Abortion Rhetoric, Francesca Laguardia

Department of Justice Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The graphic and bodily facts of a legal question of rights are relevant to the courts, particularly in questions that directly implicate physical bodies and pain, such as right to die cases, or what level of search may be allowable and when. However, in the case of abortion, or more specifically the bodily ramifications of pregnancy and childbirth, this detail is conspicuously absent. This article, relying on a content analysis of over 220 legal opinions on abortion rights, documents this absence of rhetoric. Particularly in the context of other discussions of pain and physical health risks in these very same …

A Collective Metamorphosis Of Breastfeeding Mothers: A Phenomenological Exploration Of A Face-To-Face Healthcare Provider Facilitated Peer Support Group, Emily Alexandria Tucker

Doctoral Dissertations

This research study used phenomenology to examine a face-to-face healthcare facilitated breastfeeding support group. Participant observations and phenomenology were used to address the following research questions: 1) what are the lived experiences of the women participating a breastfeeding support group, 2) how does the group influence their lived experiences, and 3) what were the common experiences of these women? The support group participants were observed while the researcher acted as a participant observer over the course of an eleven-month period. There were a total of seven women interviewed about their lived experiences breastfeeding and attending the support group. Data from …

Building Assets Toolkit: Developing Positive Benchmarks For Adolescent Girls—Asset Cards [Arabic], Judith Bruce, Sarah Engebretsen, Kimberly Glazer

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This document contains the Building Assets Toolkit’s Asset Cards (110), set of Age Cards (age 6 to 20), and Program Planning Worksheet (sample provided). The Age Cards are to be printed out and placed according to the instructions. The Asset Cards are to be printed out and cut in half. Blank Asset Cards are provided to create customized assets. The Building Assets Toolkit is an approach for developing programs for specific segments of girls that will prepare them to better face the challenges of growing up. It will help program managers understand the needs of the girls in their community, …

Building Assets Toolkit: Developing Positive Benchmarks For Adolescent Girls—Instruction Guide [Arabic], Judith Bruce, Sarah Engebretsen, Kimberly Glazer

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

English Summary:
The Building Assets Toolkit is an approach for developing programs for specific segments of girls that will prepare them to better face the challenges of growing up. It will help program managers understand the needs of the girls in their community, engage stakeholders at different levels and with different viewpoints, and build concrete and meaningful programming for adolescent girls. The toolkit contains all the materials needed to help make a preliminary assessment of the assets a girl should acquire and the age by which she should acquire them. This document contains the Building Assets Toolkit’s List of …

Neither “Post-War” Nor Post-Pregnancy Paranoia: How America’S War On Drugs Continues To Perpetuate Disparate Incarceration Outcomes For Pregnant, Substance-Involved Offenders, Becca S. Zimmerman

Pitzer Senior Theses

This thesis investigates the unique interactions between pregnancy, substance involvement, and race as they relate to the War on Drugs and the hyper-incarceration of women. Using ordinary least square regression analyses and data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ 2016 Survey of Prison Inmates, I examine if (and how) pregnancy status, drug use, race, and their interactions influence two length of incarceration outcomes: sentence length and amount of time spent in jail between arrest and imprisonment. The results collectively indicate that pregnancy decreases length of incarceration outcomes for those offenders who are not substance-involved but not evenhandedly -- benefitting white …

The Ideology Of Baby-Mama Phenomenon: Assessing Knowledge And Perceptions Among Young People From Educational Institutions, Opeyemi S. Adeojo, Daniel Egerson, Gabriel Mewiya, Rowland Edet

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

This study investigated the knowledge and perception of the ideology of baby-mama concept among the youths. Particularly, this paper assessed the knowledge of the concept of baby mama among youths and also their opinion on the acceptability of this style of family structure. The study employed a qualitative approach through an in-depth interview research method. Forty respondents between the ages of 16 and 40 years were selected across three educational institutions in Oyo state, south-west Nigeria. The participants of the study voluntarily agreed to participate in the research and everything said during the course of the interview was transcribed and …

How Did We Learn About Sex? —— Sex Education And Sexual Health In Chinese Youth, Yujuan Liu

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Attitudes toward sexuality among Chinese youth have become more liberal in recent generations, but sex education remains controversial and limited. Due to the lack of awareness of sexual risks, many Chinese youth engage in unprotected sexual activities resulting in unintended pregnancy, abortions, and STIs. Therefore, understanding successful pathways and unique challenges are crucial to develop adequate sex education for youth’s sexual health in China. The current study used semi-structured in-depth interviews and investigated 28 Chinese youths’ experiences of sex education and sexual health. The results mapped out youth’s sex education experiences by age and sources and demonstrated the impacts of …

Perspectives On Finances And Mental Health Status Among Low-Income Los Angeles Latinas, Luisa R. Blanco, Jessica A. Baker, Julie A. Friedman, Karen T. Singh, Arleen F. Brown, Sierra D. Moon, Savanna L. Carson, Audree Hsu, Janet Pregler

Journal of Financial Therapy

Abstract

Research has established a link between financial challenges and mental health outcomes. Understanding this linkage among low-income Latinas who face unique experiences and challenges in relation to managing their household finances is important. This study utilized a community-based participatory qualitative research method to explore perspectives on financial and mental health among Latinas residing in Los Angeles County. The implications of this study are applicable when conducting a culturally responsive financial therapy program. Three focus groups were conducted with mainly immigrant, Spanish-speaking, low-income Latinas (n = 37). The study found that though participants face financial stressors tied to managing finances, …

Knowledge Of Breast Cancer And Screening Methods Among Rural Women In Southwest Nigeria, Rowland Edet, Oluwayimika Ekundina

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

The objective of this study was to assess the awareness of rural women on breast cancer and its screening methods in Southwest Nigeria. Descriptive cross-sectional survey design with the aid of a semi-structured questionnaire was used to generate data among 422 rural women in selected communities in Egbeda local government area of Ibadan. The qualitative data was generated through in-depth interviews among rural women and key informant interviews among health workers in the communities. The study revealed that only 63.7% were aware of breast cancer screening methods compared to 31.6% who were not aware. The commonly known screening method among …

Building Assets For Humanitarian Settings, Women's Refugee Commission, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This document is the Women’s Refugee Commission and the Population Council’s adaptation of the Building Assets Toolkit and its core activity, the Asset Exercise, for use in humanitarian contexts. An asset-building exercise is a thoughtful way to build intentional program content for girls to determine what assets they need in order to survive and thrive. This is particularly important for programs intended to reach the poorest girls in the poorest communities based on sound evidence on the reality of their lives. The Council’s Building Assets Toolkit is rooted in this exercise, helping practitioners, policymakers, and advocates build tailored, meaningful, …

“Disbelieving Black Women To Death”; The “Double Jeopardy”: Racism And Sexism Affects Black Women’S Access To And Quality Of Care During Pregnancy, Birth, And Postpartum, Madeline St. Clair

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This paper explores possible reasons why Black women in the United States experience a higher maternal mortality rate than their white counterparts. Using books, articles, journals, documentaries, personal experiences and stories of Black women and mothers, I argue that barriers from the societal to the individual level create health and medical disparities for Black mothers in pregnancy, during delivery, and the postpartum period. The paper concludes with a multifaceted solution and call to action.

Adapting The Asset Exercise For Humanitarian Contexts, Women's Refugee Commission, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

As a guiding program theory, asset-building centers on the idea that skills, knowledge, relationships, and concrete resources can all constitute assets, or “stores of value,” that girls can, in turn, mobilize to make healthy choices, seek support, navigate institutions, and access entitlements. This approach is inherently multisectoral, rooted in a commitment to prioritize understanding of and respond to the diversity of girls’ needs, capacities, and experiences. The Asset Exercise operationalizes the concept of “asset-building” into concrete terms. The exercise consists of a deck of 100 “asset cards,” and eight “age cards.” Asset cards reflect both intrinsic qualities, concrete knowledge, and …

Las Perspectivas Y Experiencias De Los Profesionales Del Campo De La Reproducción Asistida En La Ciudad Autónoma De Buenos Aires Y Bahía Blanca En El Año 2020. / The Perspectives And Experiences Of The Professionals In The Field Of Assisted Reproduction In The Autonomous City Of Buenos Aires And Bahía Blanca In 2020., Calder Hollond

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

En este informe se realiza una exploración del campo de la reproducción asistida en Argentina en 2020 a través de entrevistas personales con seis profesionales en el campo. Estos profesionales vienen de Capital Federal y Bahía Blanca y ofrecen perspectivas diversas en el estado del campo en este momento, los cambios que han pasado en los últimos años, y una mirada hacia el futuro. Este informe utiliza una metodología cualitativa y exploratoria, y un diseño observacional transversal. Además, emplea una muestra no probabilística y un diseño descriptivo para introducir el tema de reproducción asistida en Argentina y después analizarlo a …

Safe Consumption Sites And The Perverse Dynamics Of Federalism In The Aftermath Of The War On Drugs, Deborah Ahrens

Dickinson Law Review (2017-Present)

In this Article, I explore the complicated regulatory and federalism issues posed by creating safe consumption sites for drug users—an effort which would regulate drugs through use of a public health paradigm. This Article details the difficulties that localities pursuing such sites and other non-criminal-law responses have faced as a result of both federal and state interference. It contrasts those difficulties with the carte blanche local and state officials typically receive from federal regulators when creatively adopting new punitive policies to combat drugs. In so doing, this Article identifies systemic asymmetries of federalism that threaten drug policy reform. While traditional …

The Social Dimensions Of Reproductive Health: Analyzing Disparities In Morocco Through Health Indicators And Social Determinants, Mila Sicorsky

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper explores the social dimensions of reproductive health in Morocco through a look at its health indicators and social determinants. Existing literature discusses reproductive health differences that run on economic, social, and cultural lines. In this paper, I shed light on how best to measure and understand these disparities. The research shows that reproductive health in Morocco is most accurately indicated by maternal mortality rates (MMR), access to prenatal and postnatal visits, and access to adequate family planning. It also finds that location of residence, economic status, and women’s status are key social determinants of reproductive health in Morocco. …

Two Implementation Models Of Workers' Health Education Programs In Egypt: What Works? What Doesn't Work?, Nahla G. Abdel-Tawab, Norhan Bader, Elizabeth Tobey, Aparna Jain

Reproductive Health

This brief presents findings from two models of workers’ health education programs implemented by the Evidence Project/Population Council in Egypt. The two interventions aimed to increase family planning (FP) service demand among young people aged 18–35 in Port Said and urban Souhag. In Port Said, male and female factory workers who were trained as peer educators shared family planning/reproductive health (FP/RH) information with fellow factory workers, distributed communication materials, and provided referrals to infirmary nurses trained in FP counseling. In Souhag, male and female peer educators were trained to provide integrated FP/RH and livelihood workshops to job seekers. Results of …

Implementation Process Brief: Integrated Family Planning And Hiv Services At The Community Level In Kenya, Wilson Liambila, Sara Chace Dwyer, Charlotte E. Warren, Aparna Jain, Melsa Lutomia, Jane Loech, Elizabeth Washika

Reproductive Health

Enabling women living with HIV to use contraception effectively can decrease unintended pregnancies and in turn reduce maternal mortality and vertical transmission of HIV. This brief describes the implementation process and intervention tested under the Evidence Project for delivering integrated FP and HIV services at the community level in Kenya. It outlines the implementation steps, best practices, and lessons learned of an intervention that was tested within the existing community health structure. Community health volunteers were trained to offer FP as part of their routine services to women living with HIV, and community health units were prepared to sustain those …

The Community Health System In Haiti: An Overview, Frontline Health Project

Reproductive Health

This brief provides an overview of the community health system in Haiti. In Haiti, the health system is overseen at the national level by the Ministry of Public Health and Population (Ministère de la Santé Publique et de la Population-MSPP) which provides policies and standards for service delivery at all levels, including the community level. Health service delivery is managed and coordinated across three levels: national (level III), health department (level II), and district and community levels (level I). The national level is guided by the MSPP and provides policy guidance for community-level service delivery. The Health Department level is …

The Community Health System In Bangladesh: An Overview, Frontline Health Project

Reproductive Health

This brief provides an overview of the community health system in Bangladesh. Bangladesh is divided into eight administrative divisions, 64 districts, and 545 subdistricts, known as upazilas. Each rural area within an upazila is divided into union parishads and mouzas, which are further divided into villages. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has an extensive health infrastructure that is pluralistic and follows the country’s administrative pattern. Union parishads are the smallest administrative unit in rural areas. At the lowest administrative level, traditional healers, nonqualified allopathic practitioners, and community health workers (CHWs) are typically the only providers available. This brief …

Tracing Change In Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting Through Social Networks: An Intersectional Analysis Of The Influence Of Gender, Generation, Status, And Structural Inequality, Amadou Moreau, Bettina Shell-Duncan

Reproductive Health

Policies and programs designed to eliminate female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) in Senegal have been implemented over several decades, but the practice has been surprisingly tenacious. Strategies for accelerating abandonment have been informed by theories of change, and social norms theory, in particular, has become a prominent framework for understanding behavior change dynamics. FGM/C is held in place by interdependent normative expectations: what one family chooses to do is linked to expectations of others and reinforced through social sanctions. Hence, a key strategy for promoting behavior change rests on coordinating change in norms and behavior among people who interact with one …