Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39446296›Full record

ArticleCanadian journal of public health = Revue canadienne de sante publique2025

Experiences with discrimination during pregnancy in Canada and associations with depression and anxiety symptoms.

Kelsey P Davis, Makayla Freeman, Pariza Fazal, Kristin A Reynolds, Charlie Rioux, Danielle L Beatty Moody, Beatrice Pui-Yee Lai, Gerald F Giesbrecht, Catherine Lebel, Lianne Tomfohr-Madsen

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Article in Canadian journal of public health = Revue canadienne de sante publique, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Kelsey P DavisDepartment of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.ORCID 0000-0001-8123-552X
Makayla FreemanDepartment of Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.ORCID 0000-0003-4033-1712
Pariza FazalDepartment of Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Kristin A ReynoldsDepartment of Psychology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.ORCID 0000-0001-5367-7021
Charlie RiouxDepartment of Psychology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-7943-0710
Danielle L Beatty MoodySchool of Social Work, Rutgers The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-5499-566X
Beatrice Pui-Yee LaiCumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Gerald F GiesbrechtDepartment of Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.ORCID 0000-0001-7259-0685
Catherine LebelAlberta Children's Hospital Research Institute (ACHRI), Calgary, AB, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-0344-4032
Lianne Tomfohr-MadsenDepartment of Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada. lianne.tomfohrmadsen@ubc.ca.ORCID 0000-0002-0860-5392

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesExperiences of discrimination reported during pregnancy are common and are associated with poor mental health and adverse birth outcomes. No Canadian studies have investigated interpersonal discrimination during pregnancy. This study aimed to quantify and identify lived-experiences of discrimination in a Canadian cohort of pregnant individuals, and examine associations with concurrent prenatal anxiety and depression symptoms.

methodsPregnant individuals from the pan-Canadian Pregnancy During the Pandemic (PdP) study (n = 1943) completed the Everyday Discrimination Scale (EDS), demographic measures and self-report measures of depression and anxiety symptoms. Descriptive statistics and ANCOVA were used to assess prevalence of discrimination and associated mental health outcomes. Open-text responses (n = 189) to a question investigating reasons for discrimination were analyzed using conventional content analysis.

resultsApproximately three quarters (72%) of pregnant individuals experienced at least one instance of discrimination during their pregnancy or within the year prior. Pregnant individuals experiencing more frequent and/or more types of discrimination were more likely to identify as non-white, not be partnered, have lower socioeconomic status, and have a pre-pregnancy history of anxiety and depression. The most common attributions for interpersonal discrimination were gender, age, and education/income level. Pregnant individuals who experienced more frequent discrimination and/or more types of discrimination were more likely to report clinically significant symptoms of depression and anxiety (n = 623; 35.2% and 49.1%, respectively) compared to those who reported no discrimination (n = 539; 11.5% and 19.1%, respectively). Conventional content analysis of open-text responses generated the following main themes: (1) personal attributes and sociodemographic characteristics, (2) occupation, (3) the COVID-19 pandemic, (4) pregnancy and parenting, and (5) causes outside the self.

conclusionFrequent discrimination was associated with more adverse concurrent mental health symptoms. Understanding experiences of discrimination can inform interventions that better address the needs of pregnant individuals and their infants.

Indexed as

AnxietyDepressionPregnancy ComplicationsPregnant PeopleSocial DiscriminationAdultCanadaCOVID-19FemaleHumansPregnancyYoung AdultAnxietyCOVID-19DepressionDiscriminationMental healthPregnancy

Identifiers

PMID39446296
PMCPMC11870713

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.