Discrimination Exposure and DNA Methylation of Stress-Related Genes in Latina Mothers

The accumulation of stress over the lifespan can contribute to biological vulnerability and directly affect health outcomes for mothers and their children. Latina women, who have the highest fertility rate among all ethnic groups and represent the largest minority group in the US (Center, 2015), are exposed to a multitude of stressful events and sociocultural factors, including discrimination (Ay ón, 2015). Extant research in Latinas has largely focused on varied levels of exposure to risk and protective factors in the perinatal period including socio-determinants of health (e.g., socioeconomic background), prenatal care, social support, and stress.

Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology - August 16, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Hudson P. Santos, Benjamin C. Nephew, Arjun Bhattacharya, Xianming Tan, Laura Smith, Reema Alyamani, Elizabeth M. Martin, Krista Perreira, Rebecca C. Fry, Christopher Murgatroyd Source Type: research