Race as a determinant of prenatal depressive symptoms: analysis of data from the ‘All Our Families’ study

Objectives Prenatal depression is a serious maternal-child health concern. Risk factors and health consequences appear more prevalent in Indigenous communities and ethnic minority groups; however, research on these populations is limited. We examined the following questions: (A) How do pregnant Indigenous women, ethnic minority women, and White women compare on levels of depressive symptoms and possible clinical depression, and on major risk and protective factors? (B) Is non-dominant (non-White) race associated with higher depressive symptoms and possible clinical depression? (C) What factors mediate and moderate the relationship between race and depression?