ReviewJournal of racial and ethnic health disparities2025
Mapping Social Support Networks for African American Women During Childbirth in the USA: A Systematic Scoping Review.
Review in Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
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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.
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
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Abstract
backgroundAfrican American women face disproportionately high maternal mortality and morbidity rates in the USA, driven by structural racism, healthcare inequities, and limited access to culturally responsive care. Social support networks are known to improve maternal health outcomes, yet a comprehensive understanding of how these supports operate for African American mothers remains underdeveloped.
objectiveTo systematically identify and characterize social support networks available to African American women during childbirth in the USA.
methodsWe conducted a systematic scoping review following PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Literature searches were performed across PubMed, CINAHL Complete, and PsycINFO for studies published between January 2019 and October 2024. Studies were included if they addressed social support for African American women during pregnancy, labor, or postpartum. Data extraction and quality assessment using the Johns Hopkins Evidence-Based Practice Rating Scale were conducted by five reviewers.
resultsFourteen studies (4 qualitative, 8 quantitative, 2 mixed methods) involving 8243 participants were included. Four core dimensions of social support emerged: emotional support (from partners, family, and doulas) significantly reduced psychological distress; instrumental support (financial aid, childcare) improved birth satisfaction and reduced postpartum worry; informational support enhanced decision-making, with network density rather than size predicting effectiveness; and appraisal support (advocacy and validation) mitigated experiences of obstetric racism. Structural barriers, including systemic racism and economic constraints, limited access to comprehensive support across all dimensions.
conclusionsSocial support networks significantly influence maternal experiences for African American women. However, effectiveness is constrained by persistent structural inequities. IMPACT: Healthcare professionals must expand access to culturally congruent doula services, address provider bias, and strengthen community-based support systems to improve African American maternal health outcomes.
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Registered trials
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