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Violence and Other Stressful Life Events as Triggers of Depression and Anxiety: What Psychosocial Resources Protect African American Mothers?

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Abstract

Understanding the risk and protective factors related to maternal mental health problems is important for improving the well-being of mothers and children, particularly in African American populations which may be at greater risk for maternal depression and resulting child behavior problems. This study explored whether three psychosocial resources—emotional resilience, social support, and ethnic identity—serve as protective factors in the face of specific stressful events that may trigger African American mothers’ depression and anxiety symptoms. Standard self-report measures of depression, anxiety, negative life events, community violence, abuse, emotional resilience, social support, and ethnic identity were administered to African American mothers (N = 209) of 2–18 month-old children. Linear regression models revealed main effects of negative life events and abuse on increased depression and anxiety symptoms, while emotional resilience and social support predicted decreased symptoms. There was also a significant interaction revealing a protective-reactive effect of ethnic identity on the associations of witnessed community violence with depression and anxiety symptoms. It is important for primary care providers to screen African American mothers for negative life events and abuse to identify those at increased risk for maternal depression and anxiety symptoms. Treatment programs should target emotional resilience, enhanced social support, and stronger ethnic group affiliation, which may be most effective at preventing mental health problems among mothers exposed to relative lower levels of community violence.

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Acknowledgments

Funding for this study was provided by NIMH Grant K01 MH069593. The NIMH had no further role in study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; or in the decision to submit the paper for publication. We thank Dr. Amy Lewin for her comments.

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  1. Center for Clinical and Community Research, Children’s National Medical Center, 111 Michigan Ave. NW, Washington, DC, 20010, USA

    Stephanie J. Mitchell

  2. Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovoation, Children’s National Medical Center and George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA

    Cynthia R. Ronzio

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Correspondence to Stephanie J. Mitchell.

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Mitchell, S.J., Ronzio, C.R. Violence and Other Stressful Life Events as Triggers of Depression and Anxiety: What Psychosocial Resources Protect African American Mothers?. Matern Child Health J 15, 1272–1281 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-010-0668-6

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